Reluctant Royals
by these-dreams-go-on
Summary: AH/AU- Upon the sudden death of his father, Prince Elijah is set to take the throne of his small European nation which means his long-time fiance Katerina Petrova finds herself returning home from America facing secrets, enemies and those within the palace and without who would do anything to stop these lovers from marrying. I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR THIS WORK TO BE COPIED.
1. Chapter 1- Katherine

A/N- Why yes I am an idiot for starting another story while still finishing New Choices, Alpha Female and...well Moving In is never going to be finished because that's just Kalijah drabbles but this story hit me and I ended up writing five chapters in three days so I decided that it was worth pursuing.  
Disclaimer- I own nothing associated with TVD or TO.

* * *

While there was never a _good_ time for Death to come knocking, there were occasions when it was far more inconvenient than most.

Katerina Petrova, or Katherine Pierce as her chosen _nom de guerre_, had been using Mystic Falls and Whitmore College to fulfil her fantasies for the past five years. Like a modern day Marie Antoinette, Katerina treated Mystic Falls like her own _Hameau de la Reine_. She flitted about town in casual albeit couture clothes, hiding her accent and pretending to be an ordinary college student, just one who didn't know the first thing about laundry or cooking for herself.

Still, she had gotten away with it and been enjoying her life. Until the very moment the text came, at four thirty in the morning, when she was abed with a very cute med student named Liam who, stupidly, considered himself the richer and more entitled of the two of them.

But it did give him confidence in the bedroom that worked in her favour. He was kissing his way up her thigh when she teasingly rolled out of bed to check her phone. Her laughter giving away to stunned silence before the heavy utterance,

"_Fuck_"

Liam's head rose slowly, they'd been at a rave last night and were both still pleasantly buzzed,

"What's wrong?" he asks, his lips still upturned in a lustful smirk.

"Mikael of House Lothbrok is dead" she tells him, striding across the room and throwing open her closet doors, pondering for a moment before choosing couture over comfort.

It was going to be a long day but who knew when she'd get the chance to change again?

"Who?!" he pulls himself up onto his elbows as she grabs a towel and hurries into her bathroom, shucking her lace panties and bra from the night before and dithering before deciding that she wouldn't have time to wash her hair and tucking it into a shower cap.

She's washed and dried in ten minutes, checking her appearance in the mirror.

Blood shot eyes? She dabs eye drops into them.

Her breath reeked of alcohol and pot. Quick brush and mouthwash.

Make-up? It'd have to be mourning appropriate. Less femme fatale and more innocent virgin.

Less Katerina and more boring younger sister Elena.

Her phone buzzes again and she reads the message as she is brushing her hair, trying to get some of the glitter out of it and wondering how they'd got hold of her number in the first place.

'_Car will arrive in half an hour' _

Yeah right.

In the quiet morning, she swore she could already hear the tires on the cracked asphalt of the visitor parking lot.

No need to guess who'd sent _that_ instruction.

"Mikael Ragnar Sebastian Lothbrok" Liam reads aloud from his phone, "King of Valhalla, sixty-three years old, doesn't say he's dead here…"

"He is" she assures him- and herself- as she drops her towel and pulls open her lingerie drawer, wondering if even her panties would have to be demure today?

She remembers about seven years back when some asshole had tried to take an upskirt photo.

Hell, make it black silk boy-cut.

"One of the wealthiest kings in Europe…one of the remaining kings in Europe" he adds with a snort and she hums in agreement as she clasps her bra and steps into the dress, zipping it up and sighing with relief that it still fits her like a second skin.

"Ruled since he was fifteen years old, married to Queen Esther who died five years ago, fathered seven children with her Christ what was he an Irish Catholic?!"

"Norse actually" she provides as she reached into the hidden compartment of her desk and pulled out the lockbox she'd kept there.

Unlocking it she sighs as the jewellery still manages to glow the weak morning light.

She takes the black diamond pendant out first and clasps it around her neck, the damn thing is heavy but it's her signature jewel so she can't be seen without it, as for the ring she has to slide onto her fourth finger, well if she tried showing up without that she'd probably be locked up in a dungeon somewhere until the damn thing was retrieved.

It hasn't sat there in nearly four years but still manages to feel like it belongs on her finger.

Liam is too busy checking the messages on his phone to realise that she's now wearing nearly twenty million dollars' worth of jewellery and she glances about her room with dismay.

No time to pack anything, she'll have to have someone come do that for her.

"Why do you care that some King somewhere in Europe is dead?" he questions with a confused groan, only now seeming to realise that she's getting dressed.

"Because" she sighs as she slips into her most conservative black heels, Christian Loubouton with the characteristic red sole but nothing can be done about that, and slides on her black jacket. There's a discreet knock at the door and she hurries across the room to open it, recognising the man standing there and acknowledging his respectful bow while he pointedly ignores the naked man on her bed.

"It means that I am about to become a queen"

* * *

Katerina was driven in silence to the first large clearing outside of Whitmore College where a helicopter was waiting for her.

Noting the damp earth she walks carefully across the grass, her hands in her jacket pockets to keep warm and allowed the bodyguard to lead her to where a solider was waiting in full regalia just far enough away from the helicopter that she could hear him over the roar of the engine,

"Madam" he saluted, "I am General Ford and I will be escorting you to the capital"

She nods, taking in this remarkably young man and figuring he's probably one of the best that could be sent out to retrieve her,

"Thank-you General, I assume we're flying out from New York?"

He shakes his head, "No ma'm, we've been ordered to land in Washington D.C and wait there for His Highness Prince Kol"

Katerina perks up with a smile as the General takes her arm and helps her onto the helicopter, making sure she was clipped in before sitting beside her and signalling for the pilot to take off.

"Where is the Prince now?" she asks, shifting in her seat to try and make herself comfortable,

"By now he should hopefully be flying over the Gulf of Mexico and about to enter U.S airspace" he informs her and she frowns, leaning back as she works out the mathematics, trying to figure out the time and the distance travelled.

"When was he collected?"

General Ford glances down at his shoes, "Three hours prior madam, he should arrive in D.C an hour after you do"

Clearly he's expecting a tantrum, for her to be furious that she hadn't been first notified and first collected. He seems almost frightened that she with her ninety-five pounds and lack of weaponry might put up a fight.

Katerina smirks and shrugs to alleviate the tension before looking out the window, down at the forests and the small houses where people were just beginning to wake up without the slightest idea that a king was dead or that an entire country was about to face upheaval.

She wasn't offended that Kol had been notified before her, it actually made perfect sense. Protocol dictated that upon the death of a King, the heirs to the throne were to be summoned back to Valhalla as soon as humanly possible, whereas the consorts could wait, unless they were with child.

In fact, Katerina wasn't even Queen consort, she was only the King's fiancée, so in the eyes of tradition and protocol she was easily replaceable.

And could have enjoyed a few more hours' peace and quiet.

But considering she and Kol were on the same continent, it was also logical to collect them both at the same time, especially as the royal treasury would be footing the bill for this as opposed to her poor father.

The lowly Baron Alexander Petrova. MD.

A thrill of fear courses down her spine when her father's title runs through her mind.

Doctor.

Her father was the _Royal_ Doctor.

Mikael died on his watch.

She checks her phone but she has no messages and no internet connection,

"Do we know how the King died?" she asks the General who jumps at her question and goes pale.

She realises that he hadn't been briefed on the reason she and the royal siblings were being picked up, he'd only been told to bring her safely home.

"I'm afraid I don't know madam"

Madam.

It's on the tip of her tongue to tell him to call her by her name but she could imagine Queen Esther rising up from her grave with her customary expression of disapproval,

'_Queens do not act familiar with the servants or security' _

Filthy hypocrite.

Katerina briefly imagined Esther's reaction to the idea of a future Queen getting drunk, high and rolling around in bed with men they weren't engaged to. The idea has laughter bubbling on her tongue and guilt poking her in the stomach,

All in all, the woman had done her best by her.

"I'm sorry" she offers the General but when he opens his mouth she sees that the wheels are spinning frantically in his brain, trying to figure out the correct title for her,

"Of course…"

"Still madam" she quips, "Marriage can't yet be performed via text. I am still the daughter of a lowly baron"

For the remainder of this trip at least.

* * *

The moment helicopter lands on the helipad, Katerina is making tracks from the tarmac into the airport, hungry, barely sober and with General Ford right behind her when a middle aged woman in uniform meets her at the doors,

"Greetings miss" her false smile is coloured with coffee stained teeth, "My name is Brittany and I'll be showing you to the Lufthansa Senator Lounge"

Katerina blinks in surprise at the lack of formality or the use of her title, funny how it had been years since she'd acknowledged her noble blood and yet after a few hours she's already falling back into her old life.

Funny and frightening.

She pastes the polite smile on her face, "Thank-you Brittany"

The woman can barely keep the snarl of disgust off her face, the disdain for the young wealthy, over-privileged elite is apparent in her tired, lined eyes. Still, she leads Katerina to the Lounge, stopping only at the automatic door,

"May I see your ticket please miss?"

Katerina raises an eyebrow, "I don't have a plane ticket, I'm not flying Lufthansa I'm taking a private jet"

At least, she assumes she is. It's not like Kol can or even would fly commercial- security reasons aside- he could not be trusted on a public flight.

Brittany is positively beaming with pleasure now, "I'm sorry miss, but without your ticket or loyalty card I cannot…"

General Ford clears his throat and steps forward, whispering in the woman's ear. Katerina watches as the woman goes deathly pale and then deep red.

Katerina steps into the lounge with an inward sigh of relief and scans the area until she finds the carpeted area with leather armchairs, she sinks into one in the corner and gestures for the General to take the other as a server appears and hands them two menus.

She glances to the bar and the alcoholic coffee selection with longing before deciding that she definitely needed to start sobering up,

"Cappuccino thanks"

She settles in the chair and pulls out her phone, it would just be nearing midday in Valhalla and if Kol had been summoned three hours before her that meant Mikael had to have died sometime around midnight.

She looks up at the television on the wall as the news begins to play.

"_Good morning, I'm Scarlet Rose and our first story today is the death of King Mikael of Valhalla…_"

Katerina glances around the lounge, it's sparsely populated at this time and most people are only paying cursory attention to the screen, she tosses her hair over her shoulder and resists the urge to stand up in front of the television,

"_King Mikael came to the throne of Valhalla at fifteen upon the death of his father, he ruled for forty-eight years. Valhalla is governed as an absolute monarchy and has been so since 983 AD when King Bjorn Lothbrok discovered and settled the land. Valhalla is a small island west of Iceland but rich with natural resources, including oil, hydroelectricity and minerals. The country is one of the most environmentally friendly in the world with most homes and businesses being powered by hydroelectricity. The capital city is called Hjart and the Royal family resides in Kattegat Palace where the heir to the throne Prince Elijah, will address the nation tonight at Nine pm local time_"

Nine pm.

Katerina checks the time on her phone. It was a six hour flight from D.C to Freydiss airport in Hjart, she and Kol would be hard pressed to make it back with only a few hours to spare before the address.

Which Kol would surely know that he would have to be at.

Unfortunately that wouldn't guarantee that he was doing his best to get back as quickly as possible.

Kol staggers into the lounge an hour later just as she's checking her phone again and continuing her internal debate over whether to book a commercial flight home and just pray that she wasn't recognised or wait a few minutes longer.

"There's my favourite Queen-to-be" he calls loudly from across the room, clearly having drunk and smoked a lot more than she did last night.

Worse still, by this time, the room was beginning to fill up and people were definitely taking notice of her now. She ignores them all and stands up just as Kol collides with her, his arms going around her back and her head tucked under his chin,

"How're you?" he slurs quietly and she squeezes him in comfort, "I'm sorry for your loss"

He snorts and steps back releasing her, "You absolutely hated the man Katty"

She rolls her eyes and rests a hand on her hip at that old nickname, "I've never hated you though"

Kol had always been a good friend to her, in fact when this talk of marriage between the Petrova's and Lothbrok's had first come up, she and Kol had been the intended match.

That of course was before she'd met the man who was to be King.

Kol's bodyguard Josh appears at their shoulders, "Your highness, ma'm…the plane is ready for you"

Seeing that the Prince, now second in line for the throne, is as ragged as she is, she leads him to the buffet and piles whatever she can reach onto the plate, "You have two minutes"

He grins and ends up eating as they walk, taking the plate right out of the lounge and dropping crumbs and bits of bacon onto the tarmac before washing his mouth out with peppermint schnapps.

By the time the plane finishes its ascent, she and the Prince are in the bedroom, curled up on the beds sound asleep, the morning light filtering across their faces as they momentarily escape their future.

* * *

Katherine is roused by the turbulence of the plane and yawns, cuddling the pillow and stretching her legs, a blanket is draped over her body and she opens her eyes, blinking through the blurriness caused by tiredness and sleep. Kol is sitting on his bed across from her,

"Sorry" he whispers, "Didn't mean to wake you"

She shifts under the blanket and enjoys the warmth, "How are you?" she asks and he shrugs,

"I managed to get in and out of a country without drinking it dry or starting an international incident" he smirks, "I'd say that's progress"

She feels sleep pulling her back under and fights it momentarily, "Has Elijah called?"

Kol stiffens but relaxes again, "Just to check in, they had trouble locating Bekah in Paris but they've got her now and aside from some damage control she should make it back before us. Nik's already there and Henrik's being collected from boarding school"

She nods, "Like pieces on a chess board"

A strand of hair falls across her face and she wrinkles her nose in annoyance but she's far too comfortable to move and Kol chuckles before leaning over and brushing it behind her ear,

"We still have a few more hours Katty, go back to sleep"

She's already going under when she manages to murmur "Goodnight Kol"

"Night sweetheart"

* * *

They are roused by the hostess as the plane begins its descent into Freydiss, and thanks to Katherine's decision to mimic her sister's make-up style, there's very little she needs to fix before the plane comes to a smooth stop on the runway.

Their arrival into Valhalla was much different than their departure from America.

A red carpet has been lain across the tarmac and an honour guard sent to greet them. When the door opens Katherine immediately takes a step back for Kol to take precedence. He glances askew at this habitual move, well-practised and exceedingly graceful and subtle but doesn't comment.

He descends the stairs and she follows three steps behind looking over his shoulder to see the familiar stature of Ansel Wolfsbane, head of Security for the Royal Family. A silent, unassuming man who had been such a fixture in their lives that they emotionally acquainted him with safety. The man had watched over the royal children their entire lives, talking to them as if they were normal children and taking injuries that had been meant for them. His face was scarred but his heart was pure and seeing him waiting at the end of the carpet has a sense of calm washing over her.

He bows respectfully when Kol reaches him, "Your Highness, allow me to offer my condolences on the loss of your father"

Kol nods and holds out his hand for Ansel to shake, "Good man Wolfsbane, you've managed to keep your job then?"

Ansel fights the smirk on his face, "If I am to find myself unemployed Your Highness, the man best suited to replace me is your brother Prince Niklaus"

"Oh Gods no" Kol shivered dramatically, "Between Elijah and your proper influence, Nik would be as much fun as a ton of bricks, how are Katty and I to have our pleasures with the most boring trio in the country looking over our shoulders?"

This level of familiarity was typical with those who were trusted by the royal family and although one guard within ear shot showed surprise at the casual banter, Ansel was entirely nonplussed, stepping aside to usher the prince to the waiting car. Katherine waited until Kol had moved before offering her hand to Ansel who kissed it with the tenderness of family,

"Perish the thought that I should ever, in any way, impinge on the debauchery of our beloved Lady" he remarks wittily, tucking her hand into his arm and she grins, ignoring Kol's surprise at the level of friendliness between the two of them.

For while the royal children had grown up with the man, she had not met him until she was sixteen years old, yet they had forged a strong enough bond that she threw him a flirtatious wink, "Oh Ansel, no matter where our paths lead us I shall always remember our nights together"

They chuckle with their established intimacy and he gestures to the second car,

"His highness is to be driven to Kattegat Palace and you will be escorted to the Cousin's Palace" he informs her and Kol jerks his head, "She's not coming to Kattegat?"

Ansel blinks in surprise, "No, Your Highness, His Majesty wished to see his family before the address tonight and asked that you be brought to the Palace to be made ready"

Kol frowns, his hands fisted in his pockets, "Katty _is_ family"

She grimaces at the use of her nickname in such a formal setting, "I am sure Elijah and I will be seeing each other later Kol, but surely he'll want to see his siblings before his fiancé?"

Kol scowls and shrugs roughly, "Fine, you're right"

He stalks towards his car, the chauffeur opening the door for him and barely a minute or two later the vehicle is driving smoothly into the early evening.

Katherine looks up and admires the overcast but not overly chilly day. Autumn was just beginning in Valhalla, a rather convenient time for Mikael to die actually, had she been asked to guess she would have assumed he'd die in the dead of winter and leave them to plan a funeral and coronation during the most inhospitable season on the island.

Her hand is still tucked into Ansel's and she looks up at his stern features,

"I notice you didn't offer me condolences for the death of my fiancé's father," she notes with feigned innocence,

"My would-have-been father-in-law"

He walks her across the tarmac, "You shall no more grieve King Mikael's passing than I" he comments before stopping before her car,

"There is a secretary awaiting you at the Cousin's Palace" he whispers,

"Replace her as soon as you are able, her loyalty is not yours and cannot be bought or won over"

Katherine lifts her head and gives him the winning, noble smile she had been taught by Queen Esther herself. One of polite secrecy that gave nothing away.

He nods his approval and helps her into the car, closing the door and tapping the hood before it too pulls away toward the city.


	2. Chapter 2- Katherine

A/N- Loving the love I'm getting for this story but I am easing into the explanation of their relationship so sorry about that.

Note- When Katherine's father is attending as a Doctor, or in uniform he is known as Dr Petrova. When he is attending otherwise he is known as Baron Petrova.

* * *

The very centre of Hjart, the Capital of Valhalla was Lothbrok square, to which all roads in the city led although through which non-essential traffic was forbidden. It was a large cobblestone square in which stood a large bronze statue of an eagle, the symbol of House Lothbrok.

Facing the west stood Kattegat Palace, to the east the Royal Temple, the oldest surviving Norse temple in the world where the three deities Thor, Odin and Freya were worshipped, to the south the Royal Council Chambers and to the north, the Cousin's Palace.

The Cousin's Palace was accessible through the royal road that was accessed from a private gateway just before the square and wove behind Kattegat Palace, a leafy beautiful white gravel road that Kol had nicknamed 'Spare and Rejects Avenue' for the Cousin's Palace was the royal housing of those not within the immediate succession to the throne or those who were but not in the King's favour.

However, for all the royal shame of being relegated not even ten miles from Kattegat Palace, it was a great honour for someone not in the family to be given rooms there.

At least she assumes that is why Elijah had had her taken to the Cousin's Palace, after all, her family lands were two hours from the city and a hotel would be a logistical nightmare for royal security. Whilst giving her rooms in Kattegat would be nothing short of scandalous.

Yes, they were engaged but traditionally the betrothed never slept in the Palace until the wedding night.

And now that the eyes of the country, perhaps the world would be on them, they had to follow the rules.

As much as they were able.

Katherine steps out of the car and eyes the palace before her, much more modern that Kattegat Palace, it was built in the late eighteenth century by a Queen who hadn't been able to stand her children but had been afraid to send them away to the country lest they return with an army.

There is a woman waiting at the back door for her, a red head dressed in the black uniform of the royal secretariat and assistants' pool.

"Lady Katherine" she curtsies efficiently but shallowly, "Ms Sage Falls at your service"

Katherine runs her eyes over her critically, the woman is older than her by at least five years, with a British accent and far too formal in the Norse tongue to be a native speaker, likely an émigré then, perhaps with Valhallan family or just skilled and ambitious enough to have penetrated the usually rather exclusively nationalistic royal service.

"Pleasure" she offers politely, not betraying her well-bred manners but keeping in mind Ansel's warning.

For all her lovely, strong features Sage manages to wear a blank, servile expression without a hint of falsity "Shall I show you to your rooms?"

Katherine smiles, satisfied that she had guessed right, "Please"

Sage leads her through the back hall to the back staircase, "Of course this palace is beautiful albeit more impressive when coming through the front entrance" she turns back to study Katherine as if expecting to see some open-mouthed, dumbfounded young nothing.

Katherine had spent years in Kattegat and the Ensamhet Palace, she's not going to be knocked over by high-reaching ceilings and statues.

"You are to be staying in the West Wing" Sage explained as she led her down a pretty hallway lined with paintings, "In the Blue Rooms"

The Blue Rooms?

The best rooms in the Palace.

Even with all her training, Katherine had to resist the urge to gasp when she was led first through her state room, lined in blue velvet and carpet, her interior apartment, her turquoise bedroom and her dressing room,

"Unfortunately the bathroom hasn't been refurbished since the early twentieth century" Sage explained as Katherine stood by the fire place in the room in question and eyed the copper bathtub warily, "However the plumbing has been updated and the toilet works"

"Wonderful" she smiled graciously at the woman, who then checked the message on her phone as Katherine admired her dressing room again,

"Milady" Sage called, just as she was setting down on a blue velvet settee, "I have been informed that your parents are awaiting you in your state room"

Katherine blinked in surprise, her parents?

Indeed they were.

* * *

The Honourable Lord and Lady Petrova, Baron and Baroness Rose Seng, were in her state room standing in the very centre, their heads bent together as they spoke quietly to one another.

As always, Katherine felt as though she were intruding upon them and resented the sensation. She cleared her throat daintily and their eyes shot towards her.

Alexander and Miranda Petrova.

Her mother comes forward first, "Darling"

She wraps her arms around her and kisses her on both cheeks, "You look lovely"

Miranda Petrova, former model and still stunningly beautiful, in all her life Katherine had never seen her mother with so much as a hair out of place, she was always perfectly put together. Even now, she was wearing a black dress and matching pearls that almost came close to outshining her daughter.

"Hello Papa" Katherine glanced over her mother's shoulder to see her father watching her with shuttered eyes. She couldn't remember the last time her father had shown his approval or really any emotion towards anyone but his wife.

He wasn't a handsome man, he was attractive or had been in his youth but he was intelligent and ambitious and- according to rumour anyway- kind, gentle and skilled on the violin.

He takes his daughter's hand and presses dry lips to her forehead, "For you my daughter"

She's confused by the strange greeting but brushes it off, "What are you doing here?" she asks and Miranda shares a glance with Alexander,

"We wanted to see you of course" she laughs lightly,

"It has been five years since we've seen you, or heard from you although Elena kept us updated"

Katherine shakes her head, feeling stupid, "You're right, sorry I'm just tired, I only just got off the plane an hour ago and haven't even stopped yet"

Alexander regarded her solemnly, "You haven't spoken to the King then?"

It's on the tip of her tongue to point out that she and Mikael hadn't been in the same room or even the same castle for over half a decade but then she remembers that Mikael is dead.

And Elijah is King.

So this wasn't a social call after all, her parents were cornering her to ensure that she was still engaged to Elijah.

Still on track to becoming Queen and rising them all to the very heights of greatness.

Whatever she was going to say, whatever comment she was going to make was lost when one of the far doors opened and an all too familiar head stuck through,

"Oh good," Elena called, in a bright, loud tone, obviously intending to interrupt the conversation.

"I was told you guys would be here but this place is a maze!"

Elena Petrova, Katherine's younger sister by a year then strode into the room with the casual innocent grace that Katherine herself had never managed, the door stays open and her husband Stefan Salvatore, The Honourable Stefan Salvatore, Second Son of Count Giuseppe Salvatore, followed with an excited squeal on his heels.

Nadia Petrova-Salvatore came careening into the room in a blue Disney princess costume and a (hopefully fake) diamond tiara in her brunette hair. She spotted Katherine and came to an almost comical stop, her feet digging into the carpet, "Mummy, she looks just like you!"

Katherine could hardly breathe but Elena hurried forward with a smile and bent down beside her daughter,

"Sweetie this is your Aunt Katerina from America, she's the one who sends you all those presents remember?"

"And takes me to Disneyland!" Nadia perked up at the memory before throwing herself into her aunt's arms and pressing a sloppy kiss to her cheek,

"Are we going to Disneyland?" she asked hopefully,

Katherine laughed and released her, "Not today baby but we have a whole palace to play in here and we can wear jewels and play dress-up"

Nadia cheered and spun around in a childish attempt at ballet before focusing her attention on the throne at the end of the room under the canopy, with a glance up for permission she quickly runs over and climbs up before turning around and beginning to command her imaginary kingdom.

Meanwhile the adults congregated at the large French windows to overlook Lothbrok square where the media was gathering outside Kattegat and the Cousin's Palace, along with citizens and tourists, all standing and watching as large screens were set up in the square so that people could gather to watch Elijah's address to the nation.

Twisting her head, Katherine could see that, in the strange British custom, a few bouquets and wreaths had been set up outside the palace gates. She frowned at that and wondered whether this had been done by people who had forgotten their custom or if servants had been paid to do this to satisfy the world media.

The Gods knew it couldn't have been done out of love for Mikael.

Her sister takes her arm and smiles lovingly before turning to their parents and in that instant Elena Petrova-Salvatore has gone from loving mother and wife to skilled Machiavellian manipulator.

She was a Petrova after all.

Their grandfather Piotr had escaped Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp as a child and made his way to Valhalla, he had been a skilled musician and come to prominence as a performer in the Symphony. He had become a philanthropist and been honoured for his deeds with a baronetcy, he had defied death for his Romani heritage to become a land owner, he had raised his son Alexander in the hopes of making him a member of the King's Minor Council but Alexander had defied his father to become a doctor and earned himself the highest marks in his year, winning an internship at the prestigious Royal Hospital and catching the attention of Queen Esther when his sharp eye had correctly diagnosed Prince Niklaus' asthmatic distress when the boy was a few months old. He had ingratiated himself with the Lothbrok's, becoming their Chief Physician and earning the title Royal Doctor by the time Katherine was fifteen and when Piotr had succumbed to old age, he had gone smiling, knowing that a marriage alliance had been suggested by Queen Esther between his oldest grand-daughter and Prince Kol.

Yet in the spirit of family tradition, Katherine had defied her father and fallen in love with the Prince Elijah who had proposed to her on her seventeenth birthday.

In three generations the Petrova's had gone from roaming gypsies denied citizenship in Europe and threatened with extermination to one step from the throne of Valhalla.

The next Petrova child born would be heir to the kingdom.

If all went to plan.

But as they were the most ambitious family in Europe…

"The next few days will be crucial for us" Miranda begins, "Our family will have to present itself with a united front and Stefan, Giuseppe and yourself will have to attend the funeral alongside us. I doubt your brother will return to Valhalla for the immediate future…" she trails off and they all have a moment of uncertainty,

Would Damon Salvatore return?

"I spoke to him a few days ago" Elena says, "He has some sort of business deal in London, it's big and I don't think he'd leave especially when…"

When at this point he was essentially disowned by his father. All that was left was the rewriting of the will leaving everything including the title of Count and the ancestral chateau of Mörkt trä.

"Very well then" Miranda continues, "Katerina darling, you will need to contact Elijah as soon as possible to offer your condolences, and to remind him of your betrothal, your affection for one another, your loyalty…"

"Passion and burning desire?" Katherine interrupts sarcastically, "Don't worry mother, I know my duty, I remember what the family requires of me"

She remembers the first time the burden of duty had fallen heavy on her shoulders, the knowledge that she would be Queen and that she would earn that title…

Momentarily overwhelmed by her future and the ghosts that haunted the past, Katherine shivers and notices that the room is far too quiet. Her eyes fly to the throne but Nadia is long gone.

* * *

"Nadia!" she calls frantically, alerting the rest of the family to the issue.

Gods, the Cousin's Palace was a mess of marble stairs and hidden passageways.

If Nadia got lost or hurt…

She rushes out of the state room and races down the hallway, shouting Nadia's name while Stefan runs straight down to the servant's quarters to see if there was anyone in the palace who could help them search.

She is moving so fast that she almost misses Nadia entirely, only catching a glimpse of her out of the corner of her eye.

Nadia is standing on the landing of the grand stair case before a kneeling man. His head is bowed and he's facing away from her but she recognises the line of his shoulders and his dark brunette hair.

Elijah.

King of Valhalla.

Who, with the patience of a man with many younger siblings, was tolerating being whacked on the head with a plastic wand.

"_Nadia_!" Katherine hurried down the stairs, her heels clattering, gripping the banister so that she wouldn't slip on the worn stone, Nadia looks up and gives her a toothy grin,

"Look Aunty" she announces proudly as she approaches, "I got a knight now"

Elijah elegantly rises to his feet but maintains eye contact with the little girl,

"Thank-you Queen Nadia of Arendelle" he bows and she giggles happily, "I shall treasure this honour"

Katherine is certain that she's stopped breathing, her heart doesn't seem to be beating either. Her body is tingling with electricity and the tips of her fingers and toes feel as though they could shoot sparks. When Elijah turns his head to meet her gaze the air goes out of her lungs.

It's been five years and no time at all.

"I've been knighted by a foreign Queen and conscripted into her service in one fell swoop" he comments softly, his voice rough and slightly breathless himself,

"Petrova's always were time-savers"

It is a joke and Katherine wants to laugh but she's worried that if she attempts anything more than a smile that she will be sick.

Her parents arrive on the scene and Miranda artfully gasps "Your Majesty" to draw attention.

They both drop to one knee as per the one day tradition and Elijah steps forward,

"Rise and greet your new King" he responds with an intonation that confirms that he's uttered the phrase several times already today.

She remembers belatedly that she herself hadn't knelt and begins to lower herself but Elijah flickers his fingers at his thigh, catching her attention,

"Don't" he whispers and she straightens up.

Her parents practically fall over themselves paying empty flattery to the new King, offering condolences over Mikael's death and assuring him of their loyalty before Alexander reaches over and scoops up Nadia, carrying her downstairs despite her protestations that Queens weren't carried and that she wants to stay with her aunty and new friend.

Katherine almost follows her without thinking before Miranda slaps a hand on her arm and digs her nails into her skin,

"We'll take Nadia outside to run around" she says with faux sweetness, "You stay and catch-up with your fiancé"

That was a command if ever she'd heard one.

Her mother offers the now acceptable curtsey and skips down the stairs after her father, moving through the palace as if she had been there one thousand times before and knew its layout intimately.

After a few moments a door slams somewhere and they both start as they become all too aware of the fact that they are standing there alone and unobserved.

What they wouldn't have given for this opportunity all those years ago.

Katherine takes three shaky breaths and lifts her head, forcing herself to look back into Elijah's coffee coloured eyes.

They had changed, there were lines around them now that hadn't been there before but they were still so alive and so overwhelming with their intelligence, perceptiveness and above all their warmth.

Before she can take time to doubt herself she is stepping forward, pressing her face to his chest and resting her flat palms on the hard plains of his stomach. She closes her eyes and inhales his familiar scent, losing herself in the memories of all the times they had been in this very same embrace. His arms hover around her shoulders and his hand floats above her curls before his chin rests on her head,

"I am glad you're back" he whispers and her lips curl up into a smile,

"Thank-you"

He releases her and offers her his arm, she slips her hand through and rests it on his forearm as he walks her upstairs, turning right and entering the hallway leading to her rooms.

They stop in front of the painting of one of his ancestors and pretend to admire it, able to pick up on the artistry but with only the basic appreciation.

"I wanted to see you before the address tonight" he confesses, his voice quiet before remembering that they don't have to hide with whispers and in shadows anymore,

"You will never believe whom I was able to meet with today"

Katherine lifts her chin and applies her mind to the statement, running through memories and logic before smiling proudly,

"Professor Alaric Saltzman" she guesses and he smiles,

"How did you know?" he asks fondly as they move along and pretend to study the next painting,

"Easy" she gloats, "You told me once that your first act as King would be to find an advisor who will provide opposition to our way of life. A progressive incapable of being bought with wealth and status, who will sit on your Council and provide an unbiased opinion on behalf of the citizens of Valhalla. Who would advise you on how best to set up a democratic Parliament as they do in other countries where those outside of the elite could be elected and have a say in the running of this nation" she recalls all this with ease, there had been a great many discussions between them about this,

"And Professor Alaric Saltzman is the best choice out there, he is an academic yet still an activist, intelligent but sociable and focused on progress as opposed to blood-soaked revolution, unlike the other options out there…besides" she turned her face towards him and smiled alluringly, "I'm the one who first found him, remember?"

He met her smile and squeezed her hand, "I booked an appointment under my nom de guerre and walked right into the offices with nobody realising who I was before it was too late. He was quite surprised and somewhat annoyed but he met with me and I managed to convince him to attend the Council meeting on Friday"

On impulse, Katherine reached up and kissed his cheek, "I'm happy for you"

He grins, "Will you come to the address this evening?" he asks and she nods,

"Of course, may I bring Stefan and Elena too?"

He nods, "Not Nadia however, I'm worried that she will challenge me for my crown"

"Well" Katherine drawls, "She _is_ a Petrova so she would win"

He laughs and they resume their path, only now they aren't stopping before the paintings but continuing along the hallway to the Blue Rooms, through the state room and through to her interior apartment where she began to feel the uncomfortable prickling of anxiety. But he didn't continue to her bedroom but led her to the window,

"This room has one of the best views in the Palace" he tells her, "See?"

She looks out into the early evening and hums with appreciation, she could see so much of Hjart from the window, the Royal Road leading straight through the city all the way to the modern business district in the distance across the river.

She stands and stares into the beautiful city, the night a sapphire blue polluted with grey and the lights of the buildings, street lamps and the cars, creating a fascinating pattern which was lovely to watch. Hands that are large and able but still gentle caress her shoulders, sweeping her hair over her should and lips brush against her neck, she gasps softly but doesn't pull away and he exhales against her skin,

"It will be at least a year before we can be married" he murmurs apologetically,

"Between the traditional waiting period, mourning, the coronation and the current state of the European economy…"

"Its fine" she tells him, not turning her gaze away from the window, "We've waited so many years already, what's one more?"

She senses his hesitation and is aware of the only short distance between their hips, so little air between them and so many memories.

"I should go" he finally says, checking his watch,

"I'm already supposed to be getting ready, my staff are already panicking over their sudden promotions, my disappearance could cause hysteria"

"You shouldn't have snuck away to see me" she chides gently, facing him, "I'm fine Elijah"

He glances down and plays with the cuffs of his shirt, "I know" he assures her, "If anyone can navigate their way through a palace it's you but I did…" he broke off,

"You wanted to share the news of your triumph with me" she surmised, squeezing his hand,

"I'm glad you did, I'll see you tonight"

He steps away and hangs on his heel before surging forward and stealing a brief chaste kiss before striding out of the room.

* * *

Katherine licked her lips and went to sit down before remembering that there was nothing but floor and righted herself, drifting across to the settee and dropping onto that.

She rubbed her fingers across her lips and smiled to herself.

"Wow"

Her head shoots up and she sees Elena leaning against the doorframe,

"Last time I saw you smiling like that…"

"You were an innocent little sister who had no idea _why _I was smiling like that" Katherine finishes with a playful glare, "And as far as our parents and I are concerned you are still a sweet little virgin"

Elena fixed a mock serious expression on her face, "Totally, one hundred percent, Stefan and I don't even kiss"

The sisters giggle and Katherine waves a hand, inviting Elena to cross the room and settle on the armchair opposite her, "So…" she stretches out the word, "Did your reunion go well?"

Katherine blinks and shrugs, "I don't know, ask me tomorrow morning"

"Why?" her sister catches on immediately, "What happens tonight?"

"He comes to see me after the address" 


	3. Chapter 3- Katherine

A/N- Here we go, a nice long chapter. Check out klaro-addict tumblr for pictures of Katherine's outfit and her jewellery.  
Also I'm still on the hunt for anyone capable of making covers on tumblr for my stories, let me know if you're interested.

* * *

This was her first Court attendance in five years.

Katherine was nervous and hated that she would even admit that to herself.

"It feels hypocritical" she says glumly as she stands before the mirror in her dressing room, pouting as she was zipped into a dress Elena had brought for her, figuring that she wouldn't have any appropriate bereavement attire,

"Wearing black when the only people mourning Mikael will be those out of a job"

"Do you want me to find you something yellow to wear?" her sister jests, nodding her head to the portable rack of clothes she'd had delivered from the Salvatore estate,

"Something pink maybe? I wear a _lot_ of pastels"

Katherine gagged at the thought of pastel colours and rolled her eyes,

"I'm just saying that it seems ridiculous for me to shower, change from one black dress to another black dress, reapply make-up and pretend to be upset when in reality the only person with more to gain from Mikael's death than me was Elijah"

In her own black gown- Elena had to straighten her hair so that the sisters wouldn't be mistaken for one another and her heels were shorter- her sister looked far younger than her twenty-one years.

"I am so glad that tradition denies the autopsying of Kings" she sighs, "Otherwise I have a feeling you'd be _screwed_"

Katherine curls her lip and glares, "See if I let you near the Crown jewels for the wedding"

"Elijah will" Elena returns as she crosses the dressing room to look in the other mirror, "He likes me"

"Everyone likes you" she points out, flicking her curls back from her face

"It's me they've never been able to stand"

"That's because you are an ambitious bitch" Elena teases lovingly, "Whereas I settled for the second son of a Count"

"_Settled?_"

They looked up as Stefan poked his head in the door, "I don't think I want to be overhearing this conversation"

"Get out!" Katherine picked up an ivory backed hairbrush and pulled her arm back threateningly,

"Petrova's only in this section of the palace"

Stefan made a face and Elena laughed, "I just wanted to let you ambitious bitches know that Nadia is down, I texted Nik and he told me that we could take the room for Katerina's lady-in-waiting in light of the fact that you know… you don't have one because nobody likes you"

The hairbrush hits the door with a resounding smack and Elena laughs, "Don't brain my husband, I only just finished training him"

"Really?!" he calls through the door, "Whatever happened to our epic love?"

"I thought you had that with Nik!"

Both sisters snicker as Stefan concedes defeat and leaves. Elena sighs happily and looks up at the chandelier lighting the room,

"You know, there are some perks to being in with the royals"

Katherine hums in agreement and slides into her heels, wondering how much of her sister's clothing she'd have to borrow over the next few days, at least a funeral meant you had to tone down on the jewellery and she'd get away with her necklace and ring. But the clothes she'd left in Rose Seng would be five years out of date, some wouldn't fit and the rest were covered in memories.

Hopefully her possessions at Whitmore had been packed up and flown over.

"Klaus and Stefan are friends then?" she asks and Elena nods,

"I don't know what it is they have in common but every holiday he had free from the Night Wolves he was up at Mörkt trä and he and Stefan hit the local pubs and drank the village dry"

"That's good" she nabbed the Hermes scarf Elena had planned on wearing and draped it around her own neck, "We need allies"

"We have all the allies we need" Elena corrected and buttoned up her own jacket before handing Katherine her coat,

"You need a friend to see you through those days you're your own worst enemy"

Both sisters check each other over one more time, ensuring that not a hair is out of place,

"I thought that was what family was for?" Katherine quipped,

"Family will keep you going forward" Elena contradicted, as they strode through her rooms through the palace to the front doors where they would be collected.

"But a friend will hold you when you can't bear to look at yourself or your mirror image"

Katherine conceded defeat and braced herself, she might have been able to avoid media attention earlier by being snuck into the back of the Cousin's Palace but by now word of her arrival would have spread and the future Queen of Valhalla couldn't sneak into the back of Kattegat Palace as if she were ashamed or something to be hidden.

She stopped before the closed doors and smiled at Stefan who was waiting there with a few of the skeleton crew of servants that existed in the palace. There would be more tomorrow once the Master of the Household began sorting out the housekeeping arrangements for the two palaces.

Elena reached out and briefly squeezed her hand before the servants opened the doors and they stepped out into the evening.

It was an awkward moment as Elena currently outranked Katherine, being the wife of a Count's son but Katherine was the future Queen, so she took precedence over both her sister and brother-in-law. She settled for being only one step ahead of them however. It had begun to drizzle lightly and they waited under the arch above the doorway as the car pulled around.

"Even the weather's only putting in a token effort" Stefan muttered under his breath and Elena quickly trod on his foot before he made the two sister's laugh.

They were being watched after all.

The moment they'd stepped outside the paparazzi outside the gates had begun adjusting their lenses and snapping photos, shouting to try and catch their attention as they climbed into the car. Katherine in the middle seat while husband and wife flanked the windows.

Katherine took a breath and fixated her gaze straight ahead on the slowly opening palace gates, the paparazzi knew that to step into the grounds was cause for arrest and probably a sly beating by the palace guards but the moment the car slid out into the square the flashing lights were almost blinding as the cameras were pushed as close to the windows as they could get, her name being shouted repeatedly in the hope that she would respond, that she would even turn her head and give them a glimpse of her eyes.

With her placid courtiers expression on her face she counted the seconds in her head as the car slowly made its way to Kattegat Palace and they were behind closed gates again. There was a bevy of cars in the circular driveway of the palace, some standard black jaguars bearing the royal plates such as hers, others luxury vehicles of the elite that had been invited to witness the royal address in person.

The car waited in line and came to a stop right outside the palace doors and she inhaled and squared her shoulders, taking Stefan's hand as he helped her out of the car and she was momentarily tempted to keep a hold of it, let those less familiar with the Petrova sisters try to figure out which one she was.

However her hair was curled in her trademark fashion and she could no longer feign the sweet innocence that drew people to Elena.

* * *

So she climbed up the stairs and walked into the entrance hall, her appearance causing a stir, turning her head left and right and smiling at those who noticed her and offered their greetings.

She knew they were surprised to see her return. Five years is a long time but the heavy engagement ring was still on her finger and Aidan, Elijah's Private Secretary came forward to greet her as a servant took her coat,

"Milady Petrova" he shook her hand, "Lovely to see you as always"

Stefan and Elena lingered in the hallway to greet the arriving acquaintances and pretend to commiserate with them over Mikael's sudden and shocking death.

He escorted her to the Reception room where all royalty addressed the nation and Katherine blinked in surprise at the two thrones at the end of the room,

"Mikael stuck thrones everywhere in the last few years" Aidan explained to her as he tapped away on his phone, "He'd have stuck them in the bathrooms if they didn't already have one"

She laughed politely and he slipped away, phone to his ear as he handled whatever issue was arising for the next King of Valhalla.

The whole room was abuzz, the invited nobility milling against the walls, whispering to each other as they stared at the podium that had been set up before the thrones and cloth of state. The media team were rushing to and fro, setting up lights and electric cables, babbling into their phones and triple checking everything. Katherine took a moment to look over every inch of the room, from the liveried servants all with a hint of nervousness in their eyes to the power hungry nobles all eyeing the podium as if they could already picture Elijah behind it.

Prince Niklaus was standing by the window in the uniform of the Valhallan army, a soldier's mask on his face but the air around him warned against intruders upon his solitude. However, he'd always been nice to her and she didn't yet want to throw herself into the frenzied cruelty of the noble society.

He raised his head and smiled in acknowledgment as she approached, "Your Highness" she curtsied,

"Hello Katty, are Stefan and Elena here?"

"Around" she answers vaguely, "Elijah?"

"Being prepped by Mikael's…by his press team"

For a moment Klaus resembled nothing more than a lost puppy and Katherine remembered all the times she'd seen him look to Mikael with such hope even when all he could ever expect was a harsh word and beating.

It was common knowledge amongst the Royal Inner Circle that a great many of Ansel Wolfsbane's scars had been gained by his standing between the King and this prince.

In fact Katherine had been in the palace the night Mikael hadn't been able to find a ring that had belonged to his father and had been absolutely certain that Klaus had stolen it, he had beaten the boy half to death before Katherine had managed to find Ansel and seeing Klaus there, soaked in blood…

For an instant, Katherine had been sure Ansel would kill the king where he stood. Instead, he had simply picked Klaus up, taken him to her father to be stitched back together and then taken him south to the coast to join the military service.

She wondered if Klaus had been away from Kattegat for as long as she had been.

"How is your sister?" she asks politely and he grimaces, "Kol will be bringing her down shortly, she's…upset to have lost father and become an orphan"

Katherine resisted the quirk of her eyebrow. Mikael had never been a hands on father, unless he was laying hands on Klaus, in fact she figured Rebekah would have enjoyed the new freedom afforded to her as the sister of the King as opposed to the daughter.

Certainly her yearly allowance would be higher and the restrictions on her lessened.

She senses Elena behind her and turns her head to see that her parents have arrived also, hand in hand, her father being besieged as politely as possible as people try to wrangle details of Mikael's death from him.

Good luck, the Spanish Inquisition wouldn't be able to get information on what Alexander Petrova had for breakfast, these gossip-hungry nobles wouldn't get a single word from her father that hadn't been carefully thought out beforehand.

Stefan and Klaus are chatting warmly, catching up when they all hear a loud sob and the entire room glances to the doors closest to the thrones where the Princess Rebekah is being led through, clinging to Kol's arm as if she'd been mortally wounded.

"Bloody hell" Klaus muttered under his breath and Katherine found herself agreeing.

Whereas everyone else in the room was barely managing to look properly sombre for the event, Rebekah had swung in completely the other direction and was apparently barely able to stand in her grief.

Although the high black wedges she was wearing might also have had something to do with it.

Or perhaps she was having trouble seeing through the black veil fascinator.

She was wearing a full length black gown with long sleeves and tight skirt, trying to look older than her seventeen years, she'd also used a heavy hand on her mascara, eyeliner and lipstick, all of which might have been labelled water-proof but were struggling to stay in place under the weight of her tears.

"Dili*" Elena muttered under her breath, her tone low and mournful so nobody would suspect that she was calling the princess crazy, Katherine bit her tongue to stop from giggling, just because nobody outside of the Petrova family in the Valhallan nobility understood the Romani tongue, didn't mean that they couldn't guess what they were talking about.

Aidan came out to do a final check and froze with a dear in the headlights expression when he saw how much trouble Rebekah was having standing on her own two feet and quickly darted out again.

Any servant worth their salt would try and delegate the handling of the dramatic Princess onto someone else.

By now Kol had managed to drag Rebekah over to their group and she all but threw herself into Klaus' arms, weeping into his uniform,

"Oh Nik…we didn't even get to say goodbye"

Katherine glanced at Kol and widened her eyes purposefully. In barely ten minutes Elijah would be addressing the nation and was supposed to have his family behind him, how could he speak if Rebekah was causing a scene behind him?

A hush fell over the room as a page entered, "His Majesty King Elijah the Fifth of Valhalla"

Most of the nobles in the room dropped to one knee while a select few were able to merely bow or curtsey. This was a telling moment for those who had to take the knee were seeing the new King for the first time that day whilst those who did not had clearly already performed the ritual of obeisance and seen him already. It showed where people were ranked in this competition for the Royal favour.

Katherine curtseyed and Elijah made his way towards her, his script in hand and he smiled politely in greeting Stefan and Elena,

"Rise and greet your new King" he tells them quickly and they bob up smiling, he turns to his siblings and his own smile falters before he extracts Rebekah from Klaus' arms,

"Dearest sister" Elijah held her hands in his own, "If you are too heartbroken by the loss of our father then you don't have to be here while I make the address, you can return to your rooms to grieve privately"

That shut Rebekah up immediately. Katherine shared a knowing glance with Elena, both sisters had endured Rebekah often enough to know that the one thing the Princess couldn't stand was not being in the spotlight.

She broke into quiet sniffles and then wiped under her eyes, composing herself in a matter of seconds and turning to face the rest of the group, starting in obvious surprise when she realised that the two Petrova sisters were there and doing that double-glance people often performed when they were trying to tell the two of them apart,

"What are _you _doing here?" she snapped at Katherine who blinked and feigned confusion,

"My fiancé asked me to be with him tonight…" she trails off, her hand over her chest displaying the large engagement ring.

Rebekah's glare could kill a man at ten paces, "You're still bloody _engaged_ to her?! Don't tell me that you're _actually_ planning to marry her?!"

The Princess' loud voice carried and around the room people stopped what they were doing and didn't even pretend to be making conversation, blatantly listening in. Elena had apparently stopped breathing and her nails were digging into Stefan's suit, Stefan's hand was hovering on Katherine's back, whether to comfort or restrain her she wasn't sure.

Katherine herself felt as if she was miles away, watching the scene from a distance as Elijah shot her an apologetic glance.

"That is typically what happens when you propose to someone and give them a ring signifying your commitment to one another" Elijah remarks drily,

"But let's discuss this later, when we aren't surrounded by media and nobility hmm?"

Aidan came forward and led Kol, Klaus and Rebekah to the podium and showed them the tape markings on the floor for them to stand on, Katherine waited expectantly and wasn't disappointed.

"Come" Elijah lay a hand on her back and guided her to the podium as well, she held her breath as the entire room watched her, she glanced down and saw that her name was marked next to the Princess Rebekah but Kol and Klaus took one look from their brother and stepped aside so she could stand between them.

They were almost ready.

"Sorry!"

There was a shout across the room and they raised their heads to see Henrik racing through, Ansel right on his heels,

"I was camping with my friends and we were out of range and the guards couldn't find me but Ansel tracked me…he actually _tracked_ me and I'm here now"

He skidded to a stop and stared up at Klaus, "Wow Nik, you look badass, do you have a gun?"

Klaus snickered, "Not on me little brother, it's forbidden to carry arms in the palaces"

Henrik moaned, "_Boring_…oh hey Elijah" he performed the quickest knee bob ever and Elijah could barely get the words out before he was up again, "Am I going to be on television?"

Katherine resisted the urge to smile at Henrik's boisterousness, clearly he'd had the least parental influence on him and was all the more alive for it.

He couldn't be more than eleven and was at that gangly stage where his limbs were too big for his body.

"Not looking like we've been keeping you in the dungeons you're not" Elijah commented with a disapproving air, taking the mud splattered shirt between two fingers,

"Honestly Henrik, one of the richest boys in the world and you run around the forest like our ancestors never even built the palace!"

"Your Majesty" Ansel approached taking something from a servant, a black wool sweater,

"This should cover most of the dirt,"

The media team was getting antsy now, checking their watches and trying to look impatient while remembering that the man before them was the King of the nation.

But they were still only a few minutes out now from going live and showing the country an empty podium and unready family behind it.

Henrik allows himself to be dressed with little grace and ushered into position on the other side of Kol, he leans past his brother and studies Katherine,

"Didn't you and Elijah once have sex in a closet?" he questions,

"Henrik!" Elijah turned around at the podium glaring at his brother while Katherine covered her mouth,

"Your Majesty" Ansel whispered as he quickly retreated out of the cameras view and in one instant they went from a group of young adults to respectful royals and nobles.

* * *

"Good Evening" Elijah said looking straight into the camera, projecting a commanding presence, the presence of a king.

"Citizens of Valhalla, I come to you this evening with the sad news that my father, King Mikael X died in the night. He went peacefully in his sleep and suffered no pain. My family and I are saddened by the loss, we grieve with you, the people. My father was a good man who ruled fairly and justly over the kingdom which he loved so dearly. He served our gods well and has left his mark on our great nation, I can only hope to honour his memory in my own service to this country. I humbly accept my calling as King of Valhalla, I solemnly swear that I will dedicate the rest of my life to the service of our nation, to its betterment and its protection. The blood of my ancestor's runs through my veins and like so many before me, I would gladly shed it for the good of us all. So I ask for your continued support of the monarchy and swear to you that you shall be rewarded for your faith in us. Thank-you"

He finished the speech and waited for the signal before stepping back from the podium. The room waited on baited breath before the cameraman waved his hand and they broke into polite applause, Katherine smiled proudly at him while Rebekah beamed and wiped under her eyes as she had been doing continuously throughout the speech.

Elijah had been performing royal duties his entire life but this time he was clearly full of nervous energy. There was quite a large difference between knowing that you will one day be King of Valhalla and suddenly finding yourself addressing twelve million citizens and realising that you lead the entire nation.

Katherine stepped forward and squeezed his hand,

"You were wonderful" she assures him before Rebekah sashays past and pushes her out of the way, "My big brother"

The nobility were all coming over, discreetly trying to outpace one another to congratulate their new King and capture his attention. Katherine felt a hand on her arm and her mother appeared at her side,

"You've said your piece" she told her quietly, "Now come away before you're seen floundering and crying for attention amongst the masses"

She smiled and swept over to where Elena and Stefan were chatting with Alexander, their conversation in low volume so they wouldn't be seen to be attracting attention but in English so that the contrast between that and the ancient Norse tongue would be noticed. Elena kissed her cheek as she approached and whispered encouragement in her ear, Katherine smiled and joined the conversation about Rose Seng, listening to all the changes that had occurred there over the last five years and pretending not to notice how they were being watched by the nobility.

Aidan came over and politely interrupted, "Milady Petrova?"

She nearly asked him to call her Katherine before remembering that within Valhalla her name was Katerina, "Yes?"

"The Lord Chamberlain and Master of the Household will be meeting with you tomorrow to discuss the running of the Cousin's Palace" he informed her with a knowing grin and she nodded in thanks,

Elijah met her gaze through the crowd and she gazes longingly before someone moves into their path, blocking the line of sight. She exhales in annoyance and turns on her heel to see Klaus and Kol approaching,

"That went well" she comments politely and they both nodded,

"Except we forgot to invite Finn and Freya" Kol mutters, "Whoops!"

Finn and Freya, Mikael's illegitimate twin children by his one-time mistress Dahlia. Utterly boring brown-noses who had truly resented Mikael's legitimate royal children, if they had come they likely would have caused trouble or tried to ruin the evening.

Katherine wondered whether they'd turn up at the Cousin's Palace and demand her rooms or open their own house in the city.

"I'm sure they'll release a statement of their own later" Klaus murmurs before turning to Stefan, "You and the family all set up for the night?"

Stefan smiles, "We are thanks…I'm hoping the palace is large enough that Nadia can wear herself out, usually we just give her the back paddocks and let her roam free till dusk"

The group laughs politely before Kol yawns and Katherine catches on, "Long day"

She smiles in agreement, "And a long night before that"

He gazes about the room, "From what I can see this isn't a drink and nibbles affair, you want to grab a bite to eat?"

She would actually, she was starting to get hungry but she knew that 'a bite to eat' with Kol meant a five course dinner at some bizarre restaurant with the paparazzi on their tail.

Right now, for the first time in years, she found herself craving a smoked salmon open sandwich and a rose lemonade.

"My family and I are headed back to the Cousin's palace" she answered apologetically,

"You're welcome to join us of course"

For a moment he looked like he was about to take her up on that offer but then Rebekah came out of nowhere and linked her arm through his,

"I'm _starving_" she announced, "Let's order something from the most decadent restaurant we can find. I'm thinking gold flaked sushi"

She turned her shoulder and the family recognised a dismissal when they saw one, especially one that rude.

"Your Highness" Alexander and Stefan bowed while the women curtsied and Katherine in a rare spurt of anger swept back across the room and just by appearing, managed to distract Elijah from Duchess Genevieve and her ridiculous bevy of daughters,

"My family and I are leaving" she told him, lifting her face and receiving a perfunctory farewell kiss, one that lacked the spontaneity and emotion of the last one but was publicly appropriate,

"Good night Your Majesty"

"Good night Katerina"

* * *

Alexander and Miranda had chosen to stay at Hotel Gaular, a sprawling hotel just outside Lothbrok square where the nobility often chose to stay when they were attending events in Hjart but had not received invitation to stay in one of the palaces.

Of course Katherine probably could have got them one of the many rooms currently standing empty in the Cousin's Palace but they had refused for the moment, wanting her to have some privacy and time alone, also so they could be approached by anyone offering overtures of friendship.

Elena and Stefan raided the kitchen with her, the fridge having been stocked once a week with necessary food stuffs and they were able to make sandwiches for dinner.

Or rather, Stefan was able to using a site on his phone as a reference while Elena and Katherine were ordered back at knifepoint.

Both sisters were legendary in the family for kitchen disasters.

But Stefan and Elena went to bed shortly after, leaving her to meander to her bedroom where she found an envelope on the bed telling her that her possessions had arrived and been unpacked. She pulled her wardrobe open with relief and changed into one of the many Victoria Secret nightgowns, throwing the matching kimono over the top before bouncing onto the bed and gazing around.

The only things that weren't turquoise in the room were either another shade of blue, varnished wood or gold.

Strangely enough she momentarily missed her tiny by comparison dorm room at Whitmore, with the shared bathroom, the tiny bed, the thin walls and the never ending music played by some inconsiderate asshole.

But this was her life.

The dream was over.

She slid off the bed and moved to her state room, feeling scandalous for standing there in nothing more than a nightgown but the palace was empty and nobody would be the wiser.

She left the lights off, moving by the electric light coming from the square outside and tread over to the window. Members of the press were still outside Kattegat, reporting on the death and some idiots were holding a candlelight vigil. She squinted and saw the red and blue uniform with matching beret, Klaus must have been sent down to thank them for their strange act.

Valhallan kings weren't mourned with candles and standing around in the night. She wondered if they were going to make a grave for him next instead of the ship off the coast where all rulers had been sent to their fiery grave, their spirits standing watch over the seas and guarding against enemy invasion.

She ignores the creaking noise at first, any building more than fifty years old made noises in the night. There were no ghosts who had any reason to haunt her and the priests and priestesses of the Royal Temple would perform the rituals to keep Mikael's ghost from mischief.

When she hears the door close however she spins around with a surprised gasp,

"It's alright" Elijah's voice calls across the room, "It's only me"

He doesn't turn on the lights either and it isn't until he steps into the glow from the window that she can see he's discarded with the tie and suit jacket he was wearing before, rolled up his shirt sleeves and generally appeared more relaxed.

She unclenches her fists, "You startled me"

He grimaces, "I'm sorry" he slides his hands into his trouser pockets and leans against the wall, facing her, "But I couldn't even begin to wind down, nor could I stomach the Valhallan-Asian fusion food the rest of my family was gorging on, I couldn't pace my palace like a restless spirit, not while half the staff are still up and about…"

She listens to him but her attention is focused on his tapping foot and the rapidness of his speech, he was running on adrenaline and had needed to escape all the buzzing activity of the Palace before he could even think of relaxing.

She lets him talk himself into silence and then turns back to the window, he moves with her and they stare out into the night, enjoying the companionable silence, Katherine ignoring the fact that she's practically naked in front of him until he speaks again.

"I'm afraid I can't reward your father" he begins, murmuring softly, "Despite him being faultless in my father's death if I were to give him title or position now or within the next year, people would talk"

Katherine shrugs daintily, "That's fine, he's been a lowly baron his entire life, he can handle a paltry castle and sustainable farm for a little longer"

Especially when his daughter would be queen.

"Well" Elijah gives a one-sided smile, "Just because I can't reward him without being accused of regicide doesn't mean he'll have to live in disappointment, he'll be pleased to know that I am making Stefan a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber, which is completely honorary at this point but he'll be in my train for every state event and I'll be granting him and Elena the Marquis and Marchioness of Orelands which will give them a decent allowance, and I'll be changing the hereditary laws as soon as possible so first born females can inherit" he shifts and she feels as if her whole body is tingling,

"I'd also like to make little Nadia the Duchess of Ensamhet once we're married but I'm worried that she'll be quite annoyed if I dispute her title of Queen"

Her heart catches at his casual mention of these titles and her family and she's unable to handle her emotions, so she confusedly settles on outrage.

"Why are you doing this?" she demands, "Earlier today you went out and head hunted a progressive pro-democracy academic for the sole purpose of modernising the monarchy and evening out the socio-economic gap in this country and now you come in here and tell me that my family is going to get any title you can throw at us? Am I supposed to thank-you?! Do you finally want me to _kneel_?"

She sweeps away from him to the centre of the room, her silk nightgown fluttering about her thighs and drops to her knees in challenge, staring at Elijah even though with his back to the window she can't see into his eyes. He stands there motionless for a few moments before moving towards her, his footfalls silent on the plush carpet, his hands lifting to undo his belt buckle, clearly about to take her up on her offer and her mouth drops open in surprise.

He can't expect that she will actually suck him off _here, _in the middle of the State room where anybody could walk in!

She can hear the click of buckle and the hiss of leather and she can feel the reaction of panic on her body, her armpits growing moist and her throat growing dry as he stops before her, his finger trails up from her throat to her jaw…

She yelps in surprise as he suddenly shoots down and scoops her up into his arms, holding her close as he turns into the faint light so she can see his smile,

"The look on your face" he murmurs, his voice warm with good humour, "You would have bitten my poor appendage clean off and eaten it"

She glares playfully, surprised that the prim and proper prince was still able to jest,

"With salt and relish" she returns and he chuckles, stealing a gentle kiss which she steals right back, cupping his face and thrilling at his moan when she pulls away,

"Again" he requests and she shakes her head,

"To kiss you would be to fall in love with you"

She had whispered the same words to him all those years ago. He blinks and holds her tighter against him before he begins moving,

"And _where_ do you think you're taking me?" she demands putting on the most ridiculous dignified tone she can,

"To bed of course" he tells her, walking through her interior apartment to her bedroom, she had thankfully left the door opened and laying her on the turquoise duvet, turning on the bedside lamp as his lips curled in amusement,

"You did offer me your heartfelt gratitude"

"No" she shakes her head playfully, kneeling on the bedspread "Shan't"

"Not even a kiss?" he suggests, mimicking her position on the bed, and she shakes her head,

"Not even a touch?" he moves closer to her and she finds her gaze fixated on the undone button at the top of his shirt, the hint of chest, she shakes her head again but can't remember what it is she is refusing, he moves closer on his knees,

"Not even…"

He doesn't even finish that jest before their lips are colliding, hungry, passionate kisses as her hands tangle in his shirt and her flimsy silk kimono and nightgown are clenched in his fists, she tumbles back on the bed, taking him with her and he pulls down the silk until her breasts are exposed.

Breaking for air they are lost in each other's eyes for a second before he brushes her hair aside and begins kissing her neck, her eyes flutter closed as she moans and spreads her legs so he is between her thighs, his weight atop her. She wraps one arm around her shoulder and buries the other in his hair, and gasps when his teeth nibble on her skin,

"What are you doing?" she breathes in his ear, shifting her body underneath his, enjoying the heavy feel of him,

"Love bite" he murmurs, kissing and blowing on the wet skin, "Now that I can finally give you one on your neck"

She giggles and lets him resume his ministrations, rubbing her breasts against his shirt, remembering all the hickeys they'd given each other and the creative places they'd had to find where they could wear each other's mark without detection.

Once she'd spent a day walking around the palace with a secretive smile on her face and the tell-tale mark on her left bum cheek.

Another time he'd had to go swimming with a t-shirt because she'd left a love bite on his stomach, rather low down as well.

It had been childish of them but love and the desire to stake a claim on one another when any connection they'd had was forbidden…

She pulls his head up and kisses him again, their tongues rubbing against each other and his left hand palms and plays with her exposed right breast, teasing and squeezing the nipple and she's arching her back until his hand releases her and slips down under her nightgown to her bare vagina and she almost imperceptibly stills.

Pretending not to notice, Elijah's hand trails up to her thigh, holding it in his hand and kissing her deeply, and then less deeply, less and less until their lips are just brushing against each other and he rests his forehead atop hers, exhaling deeply.

Katherine's eyes flicker open and she sees the exhaustion on his face and knows that not all of it was physical.

Reaching up, she ran her fingers lightly across his cheekbone, cupping his cheek and allowing him to rest his face against her palm,

"I am sorry that your father is dead" she tells him, deliberately not referring to the man as Mikael or the late King.

If nothing else, he had been Elijah's biological father.

He sighs and opens his eyes, "Truly, I am not"

They kiss again and he slowly slides backward until he is kneeling, he checks his watch and sighs, rubbing his face,

"I have to get back to the Palace" he groans, rolling his shoulders.

She nods and settles herself against the bedhead, "Have they moved you into the King's chambers yet?"

He shakes his head, "They're still clearing the rooms, taking their time packing everything up for the preservation while pretending not to notice if one of us sneaks in there to take a memento, after the debacle following the clearing of mother's rooms and the fact that I now have the right to imprison and execute, they're going to bend the strict laws and love of history this occasion"

"Besides" he adds, "The longer they take labelling and wrapping everything up, the longer they remain employed which is fair, I won't be able to justify keeping them all when I have my own household and at most I can shift five to your employment, seven if you get a lady-in-waiting that isn't Elena. Still…for all our engagement it wouldn't be fitting for me to spend the night in your room until we're closer to the wedding date"

She nods and smiles to show she's not offended, she holds out her hand and he kisses the finger before frowning,

"Are we no longer engaged?" he asks teasingly, wiggling the bare digit.

She taps the bedside table and he sees the ring standing beside the lamp, "I adore that ring but sleeping with it risks injury"

He chuckles and kisses her wrist before standing up and straightening himself. "Good night Katerina"

"Good night Elijah, I'll see you soon"

An hour later she is completely sleep, wrapped up in a terry cloth dressing gown 'borrowed' from Elena and under the calming influence of the Valium her father had left in the bedside table for her.

* * *

A/N- Read and Review my Kalijah pretties.


	4. Chapter 4- Elijah

A/N- We're now seeing the day from Elijah's POV. Love how excited everyone is for this story, if you want to see Katherine's outfits, palace rooms etc check it on my tumblr blog klaro-addict.

My knowledge of Norse traditions/rituals comes from the tv show Vikings and what little information I can gleam from the net, however if anyone knows a good site let me know!

Also- I didn't realise Aiden was spelled with an E as opposed to an A but I've made the change.

* * *

_Long Live the King!_

_Long Live the King! _

Those cries are still ringing in Elijah's ears.

* * *

_Two hours earlier_

Elijah frowned and blinked, staring at the pillow under his head, rolling over and staring at the heavy curtains through which a sliver of the window could still be seen.

There wasn't any light filtering through, so it clearly wasn't morning.

Why the _hell_ was he awake then?

He raises his head and squints to see if he can see the antique clock on the mantel above his fireplace.

It's still so dark he can't even make out the fireplace.

Flopping back onto his bed with a curse he wonders if he has any sleeping pills in his room, probably not. There'd be something in Kol's room but he's too tired to make the trek down two hallways and taking a pill from Kol's room was a game of Russian roulette, he could end up unconscious but it'd likely be because he was choking on his own vomit.

Dammit, he's nearly awake now and he has a breakfast tomorrow morning at the British embassy, which was not something he could half-arse.

The damn Brits had an superiority complex when it came to the Valhallan Royal Family, something along the lines of 'Our royals are better than yours'

Better at inbreeding, religious persecution, sex scandals and fascism perhaps.

But if you wanted your royals to be unbelievably handsome you had to look to the north, to the Vikings.

He yawns and kicks the blankets with a curse, where had he left that report sent over from the Ministry for Culture and Tourism? Maybe reading about the predicted tourist influx for the upcoming Winter nights festival would put him to sleep.

Or he could beat himself over the head with the seven hundred page document.

He sits up and sets one foot on the floor before stilling, electricity running up his spine.

Something is happening.

He stops and listens, straining his ears. He can hear it, sounds of activity in the Palace. Which wasn't strange considering that it was the Royal Palace in the capital city but this was different, at night the activity wound down, the servants went home or to bed, people retired to their rooms and it was a weekday with no events planned.

And Kol and Rebekah were out of the country so there was no wild partying going on.

But people were awake, moving around, he could hear voices in the hall, they were getting closer.

In a rare moment of panic he wondered if there was a revolt happening, or a revolution, if the mob had come to tear his family apart?

Fortunately logic quickly returned to his brain.

The Lothbroks were popular in Valhalla, the Republic and Anti-Monarchy movements were weak or fringe groups who failed to gain mainstream popularity.

And if people had managed to storm the palace, as the heir to the throne, Elijah would have been the second person notified and taken to safety.

Protocol aside, Elijah was confident that Ansel Wolfsbane would have personally attended to him before Mikael.

The man's loyalty was to the Royal children, not to the King.

So it wasn't likely a coup d'état but it was _something_. He got to his feet and looked about for a dressing gown, or even a t-shirt.

The heir could not be wandering the palace half-naked, it was inappropriate.

Even as he considered all the events that could be taking place it never crossed his mind that whilst he'd slept, his position had changed from that of Prince to King.

Not until he heard the first cry.

"_The King is dead!_"someone- a woman- screamed at the top of her lungs,

"_Long live the King!_"

What?!

The t-shirt slipped through Elijah's suddenly numb fingers, he stared dumbly at the grey material on the carpet as the cries grew louder, more people joining in as feet began to pound on marble and wooden floors, as they begun to converge into a wave and surge towards his rooms,

"_The King is dead!_"

"_Long live the King!_"

"Elijah!"

The call comes from behind the walls and for a moment he wonders if he is simply in a bizarre dream.

But the call comes again and he realises that it's from the secret passage that connects all the royal chambers to an escape route that leads under the city, built after the French Revolution had the Valhallan monarchy deciding that they would benefit from having contingency plans in place.

Of course the passage had caused trouble in recent years when the royal children had realised that there were niches along the passage wide enough to fit a mattress and thus be turned into a love nest.

Which was why Ansel regularly patrolled the passage and knew all the access points, hence the reason he was able to enter Elijah's rooms through the panel now.

"Elijah" he says his name again, approaching quickly and Elijah frowns at the lack of decorum. Ansel never called him by his given name, nor any of his siblings, they were always 'Your Highness' as was befitting a servant addressing a member of the royal family. He opens his mouth to chastise the man before connecting the dots.

Ansel was calling him by his given name so that he wouldn't have to call him by his new title.

Your Majesty.

The man is flushed from running and suddenly moves past him to grab two chairs and jam them under the door handles, preventing anyone from being able to open them.

"We don't have much time" he tells him with an apologetic expression, "I'm sorry, I tried to hold them off but one of the attending nurses started the cry and everyone jumped at the chance…"

They've entered his apartments now and he can hear the shouting, and by the gods it's almost sickening how excited they are for this opportunity to be a part of history.

"Who…" he swallows, "Who is attending to the King?"

Had his father just been left abandoned, for the first time in his life left alone?

"Dr Petrova is staying with the body" Ansel assures him, "You need to get dressed now"

Elijah nods slowly, "Yes, of course"

He blinks as Ansel fumbles and manages to turn on one of the lamps, the man stands to face him and Elijah brings himself to move to his closet where his outfits are hung together. Suit, shirt, socks and tie. Sorted by season and function.

He pulls the pants on over his boxers but his hands fumble when it comes to buttoning up his shirt. He takes a breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly before calloused hands complete the process for him, Ansel takes the tie and grimaces,

"I know a basic knot and that is it"

Elijah manages to turn his lips up into a faint grin,

"Did you know what I am not legally King right now" he tells the Head of Security as the man knots the tie for him, taking comfort in his knowledge of the ancient customs, "By Valhallan law and tradition, the heir is not the King until the first midnight after the death of the last King, so for the next day I am neither Prince nor King, you could kill me now and it wouldn't be a crime because legally, I have ceased to exist"

Ansel looks him in the eye, "I will dedicate the rest of my life to ensuring your safety. If anyone wants to harm you they will have to go through me first"

He nods, "I know…Thank-you"

They both jump as someone tries to open the door, once, twice, trying to force it open now and Ansel clenches his fists.

"Go around" Elijah orders him, setting onto autopilot. "Take the passage and go through the hallway, make your way through the crowd"

He waits two minutes, during which time the cries of _The King is dead! Long Live the King! _Begin to falter as the mob realises the haste of their actions. With his back straight and his shoulders set, Elijah marches over to his bedroom door and pulls away the chairs, throws it open and steps through.

"_The King is dead!" _they scream at him like members of a cult._ "Long Live the King!" _

A woman comes forward in scrubs and a white coat, she makes a grab for his hand and he tucks them both behind his back, she flinches at the coldness of his actions and repeats the two phrases, this time with uncertainty.

"You come bringing me news of my father's death" he addresses the crowd, noting those who were in state of undress, those who had not yet gone to bed and those who had risen only to throw a dressing gown over the top of their undergarments,

"Which of you stood by him at the last?"

"I did!"

Ansel's voice breaks through the crowd and he makes his way through, those who weren't making way for him being pushed aside. This time Ansel Wolfsbane kneels before him and Elijah offers him his hand, the man kisses the knuckles and waits.

For the first day following the King's death, the heir did not exist in Valhallan law, he was not a citizen of Valhalla, this rule had been made in the interests of those who would seek to usurp the throne. However, tradition stated that the heir was still to refer to themselves as King and that those loyal to him were to, on the occasion of their first meeting to go down on one knee and wait until he uttered the phrase, "Rise and greet your new King"

"Rise and greet your new King" Elijah tells Ansel and the man rises slowly, his knees cracking and people start to take to their knees but Elijah stops them,

These vultures weren't deserving of the privilege.

"I will be seeing to matters of State now" he announces to the crowd, "As per tradition there shall be a delay between the King's time of death and the public announcement, I ask that you refrain from spreading the news until midday today. Those of you that do will be reprimanded"

He straightens his cuffs, looks up and sees that they're all still staring at him, "You may go"

They file out, disappointed and embarrassed to have been caught and called out on their hunger for power and attention, pumped with adrenaline over the historic moment and unsure what to do next. Ansel waits until the room is empty before addressing him,

"Shall I bring your siblings home Your Majesty?"

His siblings.

Klaus, Kol, Rebekah, Henrik.

The Princes and Princess of the Royal Blood.

"Yes" he rubs his chin, "As soon as humanely possible"

The tie is tight around his neck and he removes it, reaching to button his collar when his hand brushes the chain around his neck,

"Ansel?"

The man looks up from his phone, "Your Majesty?"

"My fiancé, Katerina, she'll need to come home as well"

Ansel nods, "I'll have her collected after Kol, on our money of course"

Elijah hadn't thought of that.

"Thank-you, now I wish to be alone until…" he checks the grandfather clock in the chamber and realises that it's earlier than he realised,

"Nine am. I have the traditional nine hours and I intend to use them"

Ansel bows, "Your Majesty"

* * *

_The King is dead! _

_Long Live the King! _

King of Valhalla.

Elijah V of Valhalla.

King Elijah.

It felt like a dream.

He was suspended in the air, held high and aloft and any moment his strength would fail and he'd plummet to the earth, the ground racing up to meet him and…

The sound of his antechamber door creaking open startled him, he spun away from the window already furious,

"I said I wanted to be alone how dare…!"

Cautious crystal blue eyes set above dark purple shadows were wide with fear, fear of violence, fear of punishment, fear of rejection,

"Forgive me brother" the quiet voice cracked and struggled to cross the vast space of the luxurious room well-lit to keep the darkness at bay,

"Your Majesty…I"

Remembering that his brother is King now, Niklaus begins to kneel but doesn't even manage to bend his knee before Elijah's body collides with his own, unbalancing him and sending them both into the wall. Only by luck is he able to cup his brother's blonde head with his hand, cradling and providing barrier between skull and plaster. His arms are wrapped tightly around him, gripping to him for dear life and the sign of such fierce love and loyalty shatters the ice around the young Prince's heart, Niklaus holds him in a vice and gasps for breath,

"I have missed you so" Elijah whispers, "I am _so_ _glad_ you are home"

He releases him unwillingly, stepping back to categorize every minute difference in his brother since he had seen him last. His eyebrows shoot up when he sees the blue and red uniform of the Valhallan army.

"What is this?" he murmurs with half a smile, touching the silver badge on his collar "My brother the warrior?"

Niklaus grins with shy pride, "I'm a member of the Night Wolves, decorated and I earned it too, just me Elijah, not a single privilege was sent my way"

"I am glad of it" he crosses the room and pours them both a drink, drawing his brother over to the fire crackling merrily in the marble hearth,

"But I'm afraid you'll have to take a leave of absence and come home"

Niklaus nods, "I…when I received word about…did he ask for me, or mention me at all in the end?"

Elijah swallowed, "No, he died in his sleep little brother, I have not even seen him yet"

He gestures towards the door, "Outside my rooms stand every leech and power hungry rat in Valhalla. Every last one of them is waiting on tenterhooks for me to emerge so that they might throw themselves at my feet and bewail father's death as they swear me eternal loyalty, all the while glad that Mikael is gone and eager for the slightest show of weakness on my part that they could exploit" his lip curls with disgust when he contemplates this, even as his mind whirs with activity.

"So I have given myself the traditional nine hour window before the Death announcement to prepare, to consider my allies, my enemies and my first steps in my reign"

Niklaus nods and sits down, turning the fine crystal glass in his hands, "Aside from myself, Ansel will serve you loyally"

He had already proven this with his earlier actions. Elijah nodded and sipped at his drink,

"My father's Councilmen will all- to a man- be ready to fight me on any front, to try and bully me into playing the role of a puppet king. They're men like Mikael was, the only strength they recognise is violence and I plan to be a better King than our father was"

He considers the monumental task of disbanding the Council and finding men- and women- he could trust to serve him without corruption or treachery.

He has a long road ahead of him.

"The Petrova's?" Niklaus queries and Elijah smiles ironically,

"Ah yes, the epitome of loyal subjects" he quips, "All of them ambitious as sin and having hitched their star to mine, know that their greatness comes only through me they would lay down their lives to see me safe"

His brother frowns, "You and Katerina were in love once, completely, foolishly and madly infatuated with one another…surely some of that still remains?"

The new King shrugs miserably, "Do you know that she and I haven't spoken in five years? Not since the night before she left for America, half a decade and all that I have of her is this"

He reaches into his shirt collar and lifts out the silver chain that hangs permanently around his neck, on it sits a pendant, the Viking rune for love. The token Katerina had thoughtlessly requested from her parents for her birthday and then gifted to him so that she might always be with him. Back in the day when they'd both believed themselves far too clever to be caught, not realising that eyes far sharper than their own would notice the sudden transfer of the jewellery from one neck to another. He'd worn it for so long now that he couldn't remember the feel of his neck free of the light weight.

Niklaus' eyes flicker over the token, "Have you sent for her at least?"

"Of course" he slips the chain back into his shirt and settles it over his heart,

"I ordered Ansel to arrange for her to be picked up and brought back with Kol, at my expense. She is my fiancée after all…and if I have the Petrova's, they'll bring the Salvatore's with them"

Niklaus snorts, "You trust _Giuseppe_ Salvatore, Count of Mörkt trä, Earl of Skydda? The man Stalin called and I quote 'As deceptive as a snake although with three times the venom'?"

"Nobody _trusts_ Giuseppe Salvatore" Elijah retorted, "But if Stefan Salvatore was able to elope with Elena and not be disinherited it means at the least that he has a stake in the Petrova family and will protect them and by association- me"

Niklaus nods and considers this, "Who are likely to be your enemies?"

"The conservatives" Elijah answers almost immediately, "Those who benefitted the most from our father's reign and the old ways. Those who are angry that I'm marrying a woman with Romani blood instead of a 'pure' Valhallan. The Republican Presidential Candidates in America have always pointed to us as heathens and the English Church will condemn me for the upcoming Viking rituals…" he waved his hand,  
"For that matter, animal rights groups won't be happy when I emerge from the temple wearing the blood of a stag on my face"

His brother the soldier immediately begins planning on how to fight these enemies and he smiles, enjoying watching his brother sort through these issues logically. In his mind, Niklaus had always been his son. It was he who had spent the most time with him, he who had given him the attention and love he craved, he who had taught him how to be a Prince.

In return, Niklaus had loved him and more importantly, _liked_ _him_ for himself, which very few people truly did.

"We have Giuseppe Salvatore deal with the conservatives and Mikael's friends and supporters. He's old school so they'll believe that he's their ally. The Petrova's will destroy anyone who gets in their way, as they always do. We use the argument of religious and racial intolerance against the Republicans and the British and point out that we offered shelter to those persecuted during the Holocaust when they were still sticking their heads in the sand and pretending that Hitler was a non-issue"

"While completely overlooking the fact that we gave refuge to the Jews in return for their loaning of artwork to our galleries, made the intellectuals work well past their retirement age and took only the Romani that could be trained into areas of the job market where we had a shortage" Elijah commented drily but Niklaus shrugged, "It was us or the death camps, besides our cities are constantly ranked high by Freedom House for religious and ethnic tolerance"

"That's because father would tax every religious building that went up…not that I won't be doing the same thing, it's a healthy little income and the cultural diversity does well for emigration and tourism"

Niklaus chuckled, "You sound like a King" he tells him admirably but Elijah shakes his head and stands restlessly, moving over to the window to watch the beginnings of the dawn on the palace gardens,

"No…I sound like a politician"

"What's the difference?"

"A King serves his people, a politician serves himself" he frowns as he gazes onto the trees and the lake. His mother had been the one to suggest that he be given these rooms,

"_You'll have your whole reign to focus on the nation Elijah" she'd told him, "Enjoy this serenity while you can" _

And she had been right. There hadn't been much time for serenity in his life, especially in the last five years.

He checks his watch and sees that it's not even four am yet,

"Call the kitchens, and tell them to make us…"he stops and shrugs, "Your absolute favourite breakfast in the world"

Niklaus grins, "Chocolate crepes it is then"

"No" he calls from his study as he retrieves his laptop, "Something that won't have us both on a sugar high all day"

"So by _my_ favourite breakfast you mean fresh fruit, juice and your preferred brand of muesli, which you eat everyday"

Elijah logged onto his computer, "You may have porridge provided you limit the amount of sugar you put in it"

Niklaus hisses dramatically and looks up towards the ceiling, "I'm beginning to think giving you the crown wasn't such a good idea after all"

Elijah searches his email for the draft that had been sitting there in his folder for at least eighteen months now and reads it over before quickly sending it, pressing the button before he has the chance to second guess himself,

"Well…it's either you or me brother" he glances up with a full smile, "Bearing in mind whichever one of us ascends the throne will be the one marrying Katerina, so if you'd rather…"

Niklaus shudders theatrically, "Bedding a Petrova?! I've served in some of the more hostile environments in the world but I'm not brave enough for that"

Elijah tosses a coaster at him.

* * *

"I'm not comfortable with this Your Majesty"

Elijah grinned as he came out of his ensuite shower, "And I'm not comfortable with you seeing me naked Ansel, I've only been King for seven hours and already here I am, exposing myself to the servants like a despot"

Ansel sighed loudly and turned to face the wall as Elijah began getting dressed,

"Your Majesty, if you wish to meet with someone, I can accompany you"

"If you accompany me people will want to know why. It will have to be put on the official schedule"

"And if Prince Niklaus accompanies you people will notice who you are"

Elijah snorts and slides into his shirt, "I am a Prince of this realm, if I'm not recognised in my own capital I have done something wrong"

"This man is a republican Your Majesty" Ansel argued, "He is against the monarchy"

"He is against the lack of progress in this country and honestly, I agree with him" Elijah zipped up his trousers and Ansel turned back around, "You know how frustrating it is to live steeped in customs that haven't been updated in centuries, to see corruption and abuse of power commonplace because it's tradition. You saw how it stifled my mother"

Ansel flinched and clenched his hands behind his back, "I will start my reign looking towards the future and making the changes my father would not"

Ansel nodded, "Very well, your Private Secretary is waiting in your antechamber for you"

That was as close to voicing his disappointment as Ansel would ever come.

Aiden Woodell dropped to one knee, "Rise and greet your new King" Elijah ordered, wondering how many times he'd have to utter that damnable phrase,

"Your Majesty" he holds a tablet to his chest and Elijah marvels at the modern technology,

"Dr Petrova is still watching over your father's body" Aiden reports dutifully, "Once the nine hours are up the priests and priestesses will be sent for to begin the death ritual. It will be in the Palace for private viewing for the family and yourself for one day before being moved to the Royal Temple. The Lord Chamberlain will manage the funeral arrangements, books of condolences shall be set up within the city and the hashtag #FarewellKingMikael will be used across the Palace social media accounts…"

"Hashtag" Elijah comments, "I will not have news of my father's death released via twitter. This will be done as it has been before, with full respect for tradition"

Aiden nods, "Of course, but we will need to have a presence on social media where the majority of sympathy will be expressed otherwise we'll be accused of being old school and stuffy"

Elijah sighed, Aiden and the young media team had been hired for this very reason, so the monarchy wasn't buried alive in the old ways and tradition.

"Very well…I would like to see my father, have my brother meet me by the garage"

Aiden bowed and hurried off and Elijah resisted the urge to duck into the passageway, instead striding quickly through the corridors, having to stop and repeat the traditional phrase every time he came across a servant. He was actually relieved to reach his father's chambers and was at the bedroom door before his mind caught up with him and he suddenly froze.

He swallowed nervously and his hand quavered as he reached for the door.

He remembered one of the more ferocious arguments he'd had with Mikael, he remembered telling him with furious glee that he longed to see the man dead.

He recalled all too easily that he hadn't said a kind word to the man in five years, or willingly spoken to him.

What was he to do now?

Would he weep over the body? Could he?

Could he face the man who had controlled his life and his kingdom with an iron fist?

He swallowed and rested his forehead against the door, frowning when he heard something strange.

Latin. He thought…maybe.

He recognised Baron Petrova's voice, murmuring softly but audible and struggled to translate the Latin into the Valhallan tongue,

_Holy…holy mother…us…pray for us…_

Damn.

Alexander was saying a Christian prayer over his father's body.

_No_.

To say a Christian prayer over the body of a Valhallan King- this was an unforgiveable offense.

His first instinctive response to this was rage. The Valhallan monarchy had avoided conversion to Christianity throughout the ages, despite the best efforts of numerous popes, bishops, missionaries and- at one point- threats of war. They had stoutly defended their religion and to have a man- a man whose family had supposedly converted to the Viking religion decades ago- praying over his father's body…

If Elijah went in there now, if he witnessed the act, he would have to order the guards to have Alexander imprisoned at Evigt mörker towers. He would have to strip him of his titles, his lands…

He would lose _Katerina_.

Elijah steps away from the door and strides back through the rooms, stopping in the King's salon and summoning a footman,

"Ensure that nobody enters my father's rooms" he orders,

"Knock on the door and let Baron Petrova know that you will be just outside if he needs anything, also tell him that his daughter is returning to the capital"

He releases the man and doesn't fully inhale until he has reached the garage where Niklaus is waiting, dressed in a black coat that made his face seem paler than usual,

"Alright brother?" he asks and Elijah nods, "I'm ready"


	5. Chapter 5- Elijah

A/N- Here we go, a long chapter from Elijah's POV.

People have been requesting Caroline, she's not working for Alaric unfortunately but she comes along next chapter.

* * *

_Email Received 6:00 _

_Professor Saltzman, _

_My name is Aaron and I am a member of the nobility in a position to approach the Royal Family and suggest implementing many of the actions you have proposed in your papers and manifestos. We have exchanged emails before in the past and I was hoping to meet with you at eight-thirty am today if that is convenient for you? _

_Regards, _

_Aaron Newland. _

_His Majesty's Royal Council. _

* * *

_Email Received 7:50_

_Re: Meeting _

_Sure, I would be happy to meet with you. _

_My office is on the first floor in the Dobrev Building on the main campus. Rm 112. _

_A.S_

* * *

"I still think this is a bad idea" Klaus told him as they strode quickly through the university campus, hoping that speed combined with their attempt to be inconspicuous would lead to them being overlooked and unrecognized as Royal Princes.

"I'm meeting with a university professor Niklaus, not an anti-monarchist socialist alternative if he throws me up against the wall you are more than welcome to defend me"

"That's my point" Niklaus took his arm and pulled him around so that they were facing each other in the ancient university square, the fog of the morning still heavy on the ground, "He's an American, what if he has a gun?"

Elijah cocked an eyebrow, "Don't you also have a gun?"

His little brother pulled a face and didn't meet his gaze. So Elijah took that as an affirmative, but is tugged back when he goes to move.

"It's not a crime to kill you today" he reminds him, "By Valhallan law, you can't be murdered because you won't exist again for another fifteen hours and thirty-three minutes"

Elijah cups his brother's face and bumps their foreheads together,

"I trust you to protect me Niklaus. I trust you even more than I trust Ansel. And even if I am killed today-which I won't be-" he has to add hastily when he sees his brother flinch,

"I know that you would never allow my murderer to walk away alive"

Niklaus exhales shakily and Elijah steps back, "Now come, don't want to be tardy for the abolition of the monarchy" he jests,

"That is _not_ funny!" Niklaus snaps but he follows him up the steps and they momentarily falter before finding Room 101 and figuring that even in universities numerical systems had to make sense.

Because they did _not_ want to have to stop and ask directions.

Niklaus might have been out of the public eye for a few years but Elijah had been living and breathing under the gaze of the nation and paparazzi.

Elijah has an embarrassing moment when he reaches the office door and looks down at the knob, doors had never been closed to him outside of the palace before and he wasn't aware of the etiquette.

Niklaus reaches over his shoulder and knocks, almost immediately there's a sound of papers rustling and the cry of 'Enter'

Both brothers step into the room and note the messy intellectual air of the office, books and essays scattered everywhere, mugs sitting on window sills and a plant in the corner that was either plastic or immortal. Professor Saltzman had his back to them, rifling through his desk,

"Sorry" he calls in English, his American accent noticeable, "End of semester, every last one of my students handed in their papers yesterday and why the uni doesn't allow everything to be sent online is beyond me"

He turns around and Elijah notes the man would be early thirties with friendly features,

"It's nice to meet…"

The recognition in his eyes is almost instantaneous and his hand falters at his hip, frozen in the act of being offered for a handshake,

"What the holy hell is this?!" he demands in a tone that bore likeness to thin ice over a raging river,

"Am I under _arrest_?"

Elijah blinked at the suggestion, surprised at the suggestion, "No, no I assure you if we were going to arrest opposition to the monarchy we would not be starting with the international academics who'd have the support of the U.S embassy behind them"

"We also wouldn't be sending in the…heir to the throne to make the arrests" Niklaus points out as he strides to the small window and looks out, noting the low hanging tree that allowed little natural light to filter into the room.

"Then might I ask why two members of the royal family, second and third in line to the throne are standing in the office of a man who received an email asking to meet with a progressive nobleman?"

"Technically" Elijah allowed, "No part of that email was a lie"

Alaric Saltzman did not look impressed, "You said your name was _Aaron Newland_"

"Elijah Aaron Daniel Mikael Lothbrok" he explained, "So Aaron is one of my names and when for many reasons I do not use my full name tradition dictates that I adopt the name of my father's territory. When Vahalla was first discovered it was called, New land. Hence Aaron Newland"

"And he _is_ an honorary member of the Royal Council" Niklaus adds less than helpfully, reaching up to the bookshelf where an antique dagger stood,

"Niklaus, don't touch things without permission" Elijah chides, "Especially sharp objects"

"I did want to meet with you" he continues, turning back to the academic, "I meant what I said in that email, I am interested in the suggestions for progressive change you've suggested in your essays for years and I am in the position to implement them"

Alaric still doesn't look convinced but he gestures to the armchair and the ratty couch in the corner of the room and Elijah sits down gratefully, Niklaus subtly shaking his head when he opens his mouth to give the other two men position to sit.

"Okay…" Alaric settles into the armchair, "I'm going to assume I can speak freely?"

Elijah nods with an amused smile, "Completely, I checked a few months ago and it turns out that there are no listening devices in your office or home, although I wasn't told whether this was from oversight or concern over the U.S reaction to bugging their citizens"

Alaric scratches his nose, "Damn, usually being bugged or listed with the intelligence services is a sign you've made it in your field"

Niklaus snickers and takes a stand behind Elijah's back, Elijah took a moment and wished he had his little brother's natural charm- that he didn't have to work so hard to make himself personable.

"Professor Saltzman, we have confirmed that this isn't a hoax, I am here because as I mentioned, you're one of the most reasonable men in this field, and you're the only person whose work I've read where you don't call for bloody revolution but the installation of measures that would benefit both the nation and more importantly the people. We need that in the government, and currently we don't have anything or anyone with the knowledge to make that happen"

"You've never spoken about progressive politics before" Alaric argues, "I've read every paper you've ever written and you argued for consistency in monarchical rule"

Elijah shakes his head, "Those papers weren't written by me, they were ghost written by my father's staff with my name put on them in an attempt to placate those who would see the monarchy continue unchanged for another hundred years"

"You didn't protest?" the academic questioned and Elijah ran his tongue over his teeth,

"Mikael was never a father or a king that allowed for protest in or outside of the home, especially when you had vulnerabilities that he could exploit"

Alaric looks over his shoulder and Elijah nearly reaches behind himself to take his little brother's hand, for whatever strict measures Elijah had suffered, Niklaus had endured much worse.

"So why now?" he asks, "The royal family has never acknowledged any opposition groups before, so why now?"

Elijah glanced up and checked his watch, eight fifty-seven, close enough,

"My father died last night" he confesses, and Alaric pales before taking out his phone and checking online,

"I didn't hear anything!"

"You wouldn't have" he explains, "Tradition allows a gap of nine hours between the King's death and the announcement to the nation so that the heir has time to prepare…or to grieve" he adds.

"And the first thing you did was turn up at my office?" Alaric slides his phone back into his pocket,

"Was your father _really_ that much of an asshole?"

This is the first time someone outside of the Royal Family has ever made this suggestion and the lese-majesty is an affront but Elijah had sworn upon honesty today,

"In truth I have yet to even shed a tear over the loss" he acknowledges, "And I will struggle to find one person who will mourn the man as opposed to the King"

Alaric blinks at the candour, "So that's why you're here," he realises, "You're now the King of Valhalla"

Elijah nods, "I am here because I want you to be the first person I appoint to my Royal Council. I want someone who will point out when my actions favour the few and not the many, when I am being traditionalist and conservative instead of turning to the progression that both the monarchy and I will need to survive this increasingly changing world. I don't want my people to see the Palace and my family and see a way of life that has barely changed in two thousand years and to look at the elite in this country and see a socio-economic gap that they can never hope to bridge. I want there to be fluidity between the classes, I want people to be able to come up from nothing and achieve everything as my ancestors did all those years back"

Alaric shifts uncomfortably, "I'm a university professor, I don't even speak Valhallan fluently, I've never sat on anything more than an academic board"

Elijah shrugs, "We can hold the meetings in English, we all speak the language fluently and most of the men my father appointed had only attended university for the drinking and whoring. That you've sat on any board would probably mean you would have been over-qualified in the previous regime"

"Besides" he added with a quirk of his lips, "There is actually one requirement for serving on the Royal Council which will be the first I will strike down and that is that you hold noble title"

Alaric nodded, "Can I think about it?"

Elijah grinned and stood up, "Of course, the first Council meeting will be on Friday when I formally dissolve it, come along and we can talk afterwards"

They shake hands just as a student bursts into the room breathlessly,

"Hey Professor Saltzman!" he blabs excitedly, "Did you hear? The bastard King is dead, they're announcing it now"

Alarics face blanched and Elijah cleared his throat before looking down to his watch and turning his profile, the student was wearing a t-shirt with one of the anti-monarchy symbols splashed across it, red with a shattered crown. He was young but clued in enough to recognise the two Princes in the room.

"My watch must be slow" Elijah noted, "Good-day Professor"

He strode from the room, Niklaus right behind him and they made it halfway down the still empty corridor before breaking snickering,

"Poor kid"

"Well the truth hurts" Elijah said before glancing out the window, "We may have to hurry, people will be staring at their phones or the television but some will still have class"

* * *

The car is just pulling out of the tiny university parking lot when Niklaus' phone rings, he answers with a grin,

"Yes Ansel, His Majesty is still alive…there was a slight incident with a stray bullet but…uh huh…yes…I'm sorry…never again"

Properly reprimanded Niklaus holds the phone to his chest, "Ansel wants to know whether arrangements have been made for the Petrova family?"

Elijah frowned, "_Arrangements?_"

"Where will Katerina be staying?" he clarifies, and Elijah realises he hadn't considered it,

"The family had a room in the Palace did they not?"

Niklaus checks before putting Ansel on speakerphone,

"King Mikael rescinded their Palace privileges after Katerina became your fiancé" the man explained,

"Baron Petrova has been staying at an apartment in a building owned by Giuseppe Salvatore however tradition dictates that Katerina can't stay in the Palace otherwise her- and I'm quoting the Lord Chamberlain here- her…_virginity_ will be called into question"

Niklaus' laugh was cut off by Elijah cuffing him over the head, "I'm sorry" he wiped at the tears in his eyes,

"But after…well…the closet incident I think it's safe to assume that question has been answered"

"One more word and I will have the driver take us out into the middle of the country and _leave you there_" he snatches the phone from him,

"Can we give her rooms in the Cousin's Palace?" he asks, "I know the place is supposed to be for royals only but in lieu of actual royal cousins or extended family, or family I don't like…"

"The Blue Rooms I assume?" Ansel interjected, "She should be there by nineteen hundred hours"

"Thank-you"

He hangs up the phone and turns to look out the window, to all the people gathering in cafes and standing in the street stunned over the death of their King. Mikael had ruled for a great many years, the younger generations would have never known another King and the older generations would say he had been an improvement over the last one.

Which if nothing else. Elijah supposed he had been.

Katerina had never liked him and that feeling had been reciprocated and then boiled over into full blown loathing. She would be glad that he was dead.

And she was coming home.

He would see her again for the first time in five years.

He wondered how she had changed, if she still wore her hair curled and…if she still cared for him.

He remembered the longing glances they'd used to exchange across crowded rooms and the way she'd always quiver when he kissed her.

"I'm going to need to schedule some free time today to speak to her" he informed Niklaus who nodded,

"Wonderful…did I just leave the army to become your Private Secretary?"

He smirked, "Of course not, you're going to be my beloved body guard"

His brother laughed as they pulled through the back, lesser known entrance to the palace.

"I am almost certain there would be laws against the heir to the throne protecting the King…something along the lines of two birds' one stone"

"Damn" Elijah sighed, "You'll have to be a Council Member then"

"Defence?" Niklaus asked reluctantly, but Elijah shook his head, "I was thinking Art, Culture and giving Kol Tourism"

His brother smiled and Elijah figured that was two things he had done right today.

So far so good.

* * *

"Your Majesty" Aidan caught them just as they were exiting the garage,

"I…uh…am going over your father's schedule with his Private Secretary now, I rang and cancelled your breakfast at the British Embassy, they were pissed until I explained why and then…well the British are assholes and sent over a list of protocols for handling the death of a King"

Elijah blinked in surprise, "Right, send it back with a bouquet to show our gratitude…and make it the most obscenely ridiculously extravagant bouquet that can be found outside a celebrities wedding. I want it in red, white and blue and to be so big that it has to be transported in a van"

Aidan nodded, "If they don't get the insult?"

"They pride themselves on subtlety" he assured his secretary, "They'll figure it out, eventually"

"And jumping across the pond to the formerly British but still assholes, the American ambassador wishes to speak with you asap"

Elijah begins walking towards the palace, Niklaus in tow and Aidan following with one eye on the king and the other on his tablet,

"About what?" he asks curiously, "I wasn't aware we had anything we needed to discuss"

"He didn't say" Aidan murmured, "But at midday you are going to start receiving calls from world leaders offering their condolences. The ambassadors will likely be coming by in person from tomorrow onwards, the Americans might simply want to be first in line"

He nodded, "Alright, first things first, I want to meet with the Lord Chamberlain to discuss the handling of my father's body, the funeral arrangements and the subsequent rituals, we'll have to figure out my royal calendar and my charities. I want to know which events I'll still need to attend and which will fall upon my brother as the new heir to the throne" he gestures behind him to Niklaus,

"I want the Royal Council to be contacted and told that the next meeting will be on Friday…I don't care what they say" he added when Aidan opened his mouth, "There is no tradition demanding a period of absence for the Council, my grandfather's first Council meeting was held when they were still washing blood off the floor and clearing up the bodies. Winter is only a few months away and I want to have everything sorted before we start with the Winter Court"

Aidan tapped his tablet and it pinged, "Alright and you'll have to meet with the Head of Security, Mr Wolfsbane who you have the option of replacing if you need…"

Niklaus made a noise in his throat that was rather close to a growl. Elijah wondered if he'd have to stand between his brother and his secretary. Aidan was part of the monarchies attempt to move with the technological times and had only come in two years ago along with a string of social media savvy college graduates sourced from America and the UK.

Unlike the servants who had been around for over a decade and seen the children grow up, he had no idea about the loyalty they felt towards Ansel and the way he had earned that loyalty.

"I will be keeping Ansel on as Head of Security" he tells both of them firmly, "He has proven himself well-suited for the role and I have no desire to try and find a replacement"

Aidan nodded, "Alright, well he's available at eleven I can have him meet you in your study?"

Elijah nodded, "Very good. Tell the Lord Chamberlain I'll speak to him over lunch, have something prepared for us in the Jade room"

He turned to his brother, "Shall we go see our father now?"

Niklaus paled but swallowed and nodded firmly, "Lets"

* * *

Petrova must have cleaned up the body, or was it supposed to still look so lifelike?

Elijah wasn't aware how long after death a corpse started to smell but it had been twelve hours so surely something should have happened?

He shivers when he steps into the room and notices that the windows had been opened and the air conditioner turned on, they must have been providing a makeshift morgue.

He inhales and exhales slowly before moving across the cavernous room to the bed, his father had been put into a dressing gown and been lain atop the sheets with his hands folded over his stomach. His eyes had been closed and his hair brushed.

Elijah realised that he had never seen his father asleep and wondered whether he had been a very still sleeper like himself, who would fall into one position and wouldn't move for the rest of the night, or like Katerina who would roll about and steal all the covers and sometimes the pillows.

He looks at the bed and wonders whether he would ever be able to sleep in it without thinking about his father, how he would be able to make love to his fiancé without thinking about how Mikael and Esther had done the same thing and created life successfully five times.

There'd have to be a new set of sheets and mattress.

He wondered who he'd have to speak to about that.

Niklaus entered behind him and remembering that he wasn't alone he takes the chair that had been left beside the bed and sits down, unbuttoning his jacket and then wondering what he was meant to do or say. Niklaus pulled up a chair and then reached over, putting his hand atop Mikael's,

"Goodbye father" he whispers softly, "Go join our ancestors and our gods at Odin's table, feast, drink and know that we will be with you one day"

Elijah notes with something close to envy how his brother's eyes are watering as he manages to say the perfect farewell to their father. He's never had the natural charm that Niklaus could turn on when he chose and that Kol could never seem to turn off.

It was a miracle he'd ever managed to convince Katerina to fall for him when he could barely bring himself to break the façade of the proper heir to the throne and let his true self shine through for longer than a minute at a time.

But he'd managed and if he could make people respect him, Katerina could make them fall in love with her.

Between the two of them they'd make do.

_If_ she still wanted him.

He lays a tentative hand on his father's wrist and withdraws it quickly when he notes the cold skin, he shudders in disgust and wipes his hands on his trouser pants.

"Goodbye father, I'm…sorry we didn't have time to repair our relationship"

And for the number of times he had wished the man dead.

They linger for another ten minutes, both of them shifting awkwardly and unable to make proper conversation with their father's presence still so heavy in the room.

"I don't know how I'll ever be able to live in those rooms" he confides to Niklaus, "I don't know how my ancestors managed it, especially when they usually killed their predecessors"

"Sheer stubbornness?" he suggests, "You could give them to Finn? He'd kiss every inch of those sheets, we're probably going to have to burn them so he doesn't wind up stealing them and hoarding them in his basement dungeon"

Elijah snickered, successfully distracted, "You and Kol have no proof that Finn has a basement dungeon or that he violates corpses"

"We have no proof he doesn't"

If Finn loathed Elijah for being the legitimate firstborn, he loathed Niklaus and Kol equally for not living up to his idea of princely behaviour. It wasn't helped that his two brother's went out of their way to antagonise their half-brother, deliberately failing to appreciate their privilege when he was around to envy it.

He opens his mouth to warn his brother on the dangers of insulting and offending their bastard brother, especially when he was father's favourite and would run to him at the first wound to his ego before remembering that he didn't have to shield his siblings from Mikael's rage anymore.

He didn't have to shield anyone from Mikael anymore.

He is grinning as he makes his way to visit Ansel.

* * *

That evening he had walked from Kattegat Palace to the Cousin's Palace, enjoying the weak sunset along the path, the chilly air in his lungs and the wet scent of dirt. The faint light of the dying day on the garden around him and the proud sensation of accomplishment. It had been tough but he had made his through and all that was left was the announcement that his team was writing up now, putting in the finishing touches and co-ordinating with the media team who'd be recording the address for the news stations.

He walked towards the Cousin's Palace with a firm step and clear eyes.

He made his way _back_ in a daze, not ending up in one of the water features out of what must have been sheer luck. He could still feel Katerina's moist lips against his own and licking them he could taste the sweetness of lipstick, he wondered if it was on his lips and blushed foolishly at the image in his mind. He could feel Katerina's hands pressed against his stomach and the warmth of her face against his chest.

It was strange that five years had passed and yes, he could notice some changes in her, her face was more angular and she'd either gained a little weight or that was just wishful thinking and he'd continue to loose bed sheets and blankets as she struggled to keep warm in the winter. But at her core, she was still the Katerina he'd fallen in love with.

They hadn't lost _that_ at least.

"Your Majesty!"

His musings are interrupted by a familiar head of red hair and he winces internally,

Duchess Genevieve.

The red headed siren herself.

The woman had married her husband shortly before his seventieth birthday and in a true act of defying nature had managed to get triplets off of him before he died, leaving her the sole inheritor of his title and fortunes. These triplets, Davina, Monique and Casandra were- in Genevieve's mind- all in need of husbands and as she had netted herself a rich one, she saw no reason as to why she couldn't find three for her daughters.

She had been the bane of the Royal family once the brothers had begun hitting puberty in quick succession, her husband had been a distant cousin so the family was technically Lothbrok, although the strain so thin as to be almost useless. However she wielded this connection like a weapon and as she had three daughters of relative age and Mikael had three sons she hadn't seen why there shouldn't have been a triple marriage uniting the families.

Elijah himself had always thought that Genevieve was the reason Esther had fallen back on tradition and sought to arrange marriages for her children.

After all, the red head was overbearing enough now, if one of her children became a Princess they'd never see the end of her. As it was, they'd often had to remind her that she and her children did not have access to the Royal Jewels, nor would they risk lending any pieces to her, they'd never see them again.

Thankfully Elijah had become engaged, Niklaus had been sent into relative safety of the army and Kol had discovered the joys of indulging in illicit pleasures overseas.

She had been thwarted and then distracted as her daughters had then discovered the pleasure of teenage rebellion. Now however, there was no avoiding her.

"Rise and greet your new King" he tells her as she scurries to a stop and her knee barely touches the ground,

"I was _so devastated_ to hear about your father's passing" she gushed and he took the chance to note that those who were closest to him hadn't offered such condolences, only the merest courtesies yet those who were mere acquaintances…

Those who didn't know him and didn't know that the greatest emotion he was feeling right now was relief.

"Thank-you for your kind words" Elijah replies politely and she links her arm through his and leans on him as if they're suddenly close family. What made matters even more irritating is that she was using the same side as Katerina and he was forgetting the feel of her weight in light of this new pressure.

"And of course the last thing you'll be wanting to think about right now is public duties" Genevieve continued, "But I simply wanted to let you know that in the absence of a queen and as dear Rebekah is still in school, I would be more than happy to step up as the First Lady"

Ah.

He smiles and gently disengages himself, "While I am most grateful for your offer, I am fortunate in the fact that Katerina has returned to Valhalla and as my fiancé, naturally she will be taking up any royal duties required of the queen"

Genevieve momentarily glowered and Elijah took pleasure in how furious she was with this lost opportunity,

"I wasn't aware she had returned, how _wonderful_ that she managed to make it back after so many years away and at the time when she was needed most"

The sheer amount of suspicion in Genevieve's tone could only be managed by one who was making an accusation of the very same crime they had been trying to commit.

"Are you sure she'll be able to cope with the attention?" she continues, trying to take a motherly tone.

Elijah smiled pleasantly, "Of course, she handled it when she was seventeen she can handle it at twenty-two, besides" he shrugged,

"She has her family and the Salvatore's behind her"

And that subtle reminder was enough of a threat to put Genevieve in her place.

To remind her who she would be going up against if she chose to try and dislodge Katerina from her rightful place.

* * *

Hours later, Elijah was not only grateful for the empty corridors of the Cousin's Palace but also for the car that was waiting in the avenue with no questions asked. It made it far easier to hide his unseemly erection.

He hadn't meant to go so far with Katerina tonight, he had simply found himself bouncing around Kattegat and needed to get out and get away. As there was very few places he could get away to now that he was King, he had on impulse decided to visit his fiancé.

He'd figured he might find her with her sister or tucked up in her bedroom but when he had found her in her state room, in that nightgown…

He'd remembered the first time they'd made love, the way her hands had gripped his as he'd moved inside her. He'd remembered the stolen moments in dark corners, fierce kisses and quick touches before they'd had to sneak back to whatever event they'd snuck away from.

He'd remembered the closet incident.

He climbs into the car and winces as he rearranges his pants so that his erection is slightly less painful and gives himself a moment to recall the memorandum he'd read a few hours ago from the Grand Mufti of Valhalla, extending his condolences on Mikael's death and commemorating the man for his religious and racial tolerance.

There. He exhaled with relief, he could now concentrate enough to drive away from the palace and not fantasise about racing back up those stairs, marching into Katerina's bedroom, pushing that tiny nightgown out of the way and…

Breathe.

He drove through the city streets, half an hour from the heart of the capital, from the Royal Streets and couture, luxury stores there was a student district, trendy and hipster with cafes and bars, galleries and stores that seemed to exist not on profit but on their bizarre nature alone. The apartments had been there since the seventies but had gone from wrecks to coveted property, most being remodelled and refurbished but adored by those who had signed onto rent controlled leases and were now living in something twice the value of when they had moved in.

Some of these buildings even had parking garages, even though most of the city dwellers used trams, trains or bikes to get around.

Elijah parks in the designated spot, the one in the furthest corner, with broken lights and hurries to the mostly unused back stairwell. The apartment he seeks is three floors up and once he checks that the hallway of exposed brick and grey carpet is empty, he has the keys in hand and is opening the white door, pushing his way inside.

Gia bounces up from the white couch she had clearly been dozing on,

"_Oh my god!_" she is in his arms in an instant, pressing her body against his and holding him tightly,

"I saw on the news and I tried to call you but you weren't answering your phone!"

She's wearing a university hoodie and tracksuit pants, her feet are covered by ugg boots and he wonders if she owned sexy nightgowns or lingerie.

He wonders if Katerina owned tracksuit pants or ugg boots.

"I'm sorry" he apologises, "My head of Security scrubbed my burner phone and will be issuing me a new one later"

She wrinkles her nose but nods, "You hungry? There's leftovers in the fridge"

He shakes his head, and opens his mouth to try and vocalise what he needed before he runs his hand through her hair and pulls her against him for a hard, passionate kiss.

She opens her mouth and his free hand dives under her hoodie, finding her bare breasts and massaging them as she begins unbuttoning his shirt.

She's wet and welcoming as he bends her down over the coffee table and takes her from behind, their breathy cries lost in the tiny apartment with the mercifully thick walls separating it from the neighbours next door. He kisses the numerous tattoos on her back as he thrusts into her with long, smooth movements until he feels the familiar squeezing in his balls and he comes inside her, his thumb rubbing her clit to ensure her own climax as his eyes dart to the tiny scar on her arm where the contraceptive implant was buried.

She has an early start in the morning so she showers while he goes to the fridge and finds a left over pasta dish, eating it cold with a fork in the tiny kitchenette and marvelling over the fact that the King of Valhalla is able to do any of this.

Gia calls him to bed and he leaves the plate in the sink, kicking off his shoes and stripping down to his boxers as she pulls on the jersey she prefers to sleep in.

He wonders if she'd watched his address to the nation. If she'd noticed the young woman standing with his family and heard the news networks naming her as his fiancé.

He knows that he has to discuss everything with Gia but for the moment…

For the moment he can lie down in a double bed, in white IKEA sheets with a cheap clock radio that would wake them up with an annoying tune at five am and the lava lamp that cast a purple glow across the room.

He can pretend that he is a normal man in an uncomplicated situation.

And he enjoys that.

* * *

A/N- Before you all start killing me, bear in mind that Elijah and Katherine have been separated for five years. It will be explained in later chapters.


	6. Chapter 6- Katherine

A/N- Whoa boy is this a long chapter.

* * *

Katherine had deliberately not activated international roaming on her American phone when she'd boarded the jet back to Valhalla.

She hadn't wanted to receive texts from her friends wondering where she was or demanding an explanation when the truth inevitably got out.

So for the day she had been back home in Hjart, her phone had been a glorified mp3 player.

At least until she woke up at six am on her first morning back in Valhalla and realised that the time difference and jet lag meant she would be wide awake several hours before she really had anything that she needed to do.

So, out of morbid curiosity, she scanned for Wi-fi and found a strong signal with no password and first checked her email.

Since midday yesterday US time, it had been flooded with several 'friends' trying to contact her and numerous charities or people she'd networked with once now inviting her to a whole range of events.

At least six media outlets asking for interviews and even a few companies offering her exclusive benefits if she used and promoted their products.

And at the very top of this long list of emails was one from Caroline Forbes.

_Caroline Forbes_

Subject: WTF?!

_Dear Katherine, _

_Seriously?!_

_Since when have you not only a) Been engaged and b) been engaged to a European king?! And how could you not tell me? I had to find out when I dropped past your_

_room because we were meant to be STUDYING today to find three guys who looked like CIA agents trying to pack everything up. They were doing an awful job btw and I_

_had to repack EVERYTHING (btw- hid your vibrator because I figured you wouldn't want them finding/handling it) Anyhow they explained who you really are and I_

_CANNOT BELIEVE you didn't tell me! Daughter of a Baron? Fiance of a prince? Are you freaking kidding me? You are the worst friend EVER._

_Love Caroline_

_P.S- You'll be pleased to know that because SOME of us take our friendship seriously that I've emailed all your professors using your student email (and changed your_

_password from godiwantsex6969 to Valhalla1994) and explaining the situation asking if you can take your exams at the Kannedom Uni, which because it's the closest_

_college to the palaces I assumed would be easiest for you._

_P.P.S- I've attached the documents you'll need to fill out to transfer from Whitmore to Kannedom for the rest of your course._

_P.P.P.S- I spoke to the April the R.A about getting the deposit back on your room but she's being a bitch about it. Apparently 'royals are no better than the rest of us_

_that's why we had a Revolution Caroline!' But I went to Housing and think it might be sorted but might have to forge your signature._

_P.P.P.P.S- Liv came past and told me to tell you that "You are the biggest bitch in the fucking universe and she hates you forever" Luke says hi and wants to know if he_

_and Liv can visit before they start their volunteer program in Rome?_

By the time she'd finished the email, Katherine was smiling and giggling.

She hadn't even thought about her academic career when she'd boarded that plane but of course Caroline would have everything sorted out in less than twenty-four hours.

And suddenly Ansel's words are coming back to her,

"_There is a secretary awaiting you at the Cousin's Palace…Replace her as soon as you are able, her loyalty is not yours and cannot be bought or won over" _

Her fingers hovered over the keypad of her phone, thinking over everything she knew about Caroline and how they'd first met.

The first time she'd heard about her was when her roommate at the time, Emily, had come in and told her that the girl down the hall had been devastated by her boyfriend cheating on her while he was volunteering with a remote community in the Appalachians. He'd met a fellow councillor, hit it off and broken up with his girlfriend of nearly three years via phone call.

She'd ended fresher week bawling her eyes out in her dorm room for the entire weekend while girls on the floor made the rounds with ice-cream and vodka, all the while either thanking deities that their own boyfriends weren't assholes, that they were single or checking in with their long-distance lovers.

Katherine herself had spent a nervous evening at her desk, trying to learn about democracy in Indonesia while her right hand had kept straying to the drawer where she'd stashed her engagement ring after realising that she was the only girl in the building with that level of wealth and also, people had kept assuming it was costume and one girl had asked to borrow it. She'd kept touching the gold band and the diamond borders and reassured herself with its presence.

However, on Monday afternoon Caroline had surprised all the girls by throwing a High Tea, No Regrets party where they'd all eaten cucumber sandwiches, salmon blinis and ended up using the common room fire place to help Caroline burn anything Tyler had left with her. They'd roasted s'mores in the flames and used the ashes to make compost for the third year History major who was growing marijuana in the rarely used back laundry.

Katherine had decided then and there as she respected any girl who could have her heart ripped to shreds and still find the courage to smile.

Caroline was hoping to be an event manager and own her own company one day. She could organise and throw a party like no-one Katherine had ever met.

Actually she could organise anything like no-one Katherine had ever met.

She was deeply intelligent so she could probably pick up Valhallan quickly, she was a Southern Belle and Homecoming Queen so she'd be able to adapt to the strict etiquette of the Court.

And most importantly, she would have no reason to betray her.

There's a knock on her door and she looks up as Stefan comes into the room, yawning and still buttoning up his shirt, "Breakfast in the ground floor dining room" he tells her,

"They sent a chef over"

She grins and is about to clamber out of bed before remembering that she's basically naked,

"I'll meet you down there"

* * *

The dining room was a formal, state dining room and immersed in centuries of rich history. It probably wasn't supposed to be used for casual breakfasts but as Katherine hadn't found any tables in her apartment that could be used for eating meals and half the castle was still closed up, waiting for the cleaning staff to be hired, she figured no-one could blame them for making do with what they had.

Elena was still wrapped up in a dressing gown and Nadia was somehow managing to run up and down the length of the room, wide awake and full of energy while the food was brought in by a servant. Katherine had pulled on jeans and heels just in case but hadn't showered or put on any make-up.

Which was probably a good thing because the chef in question had made pancakes and waffles and all manner of carb-heavy food.

The sisters tried to get Nadia to sit down long enough to eat something but quickly gave up and sipped on their coffees while relegating the task to Stefan. He didn't get any further than they did, and eventually ended up in some sort of chasing game with Nadia just as their father came in the door.

Without even pausing Alexander scooped her up into his arms and carried her squealing with delight back over to the table,

"Elena" he addressed her, "A letter arrived for Stefan this morning from Giuseppe, one of the servants informed me that it's in the mail room"

She swallowed her coffee with an audible gulp but met Stefan's eyes and he went to collect it while she started getting her things together,

"Giuseppe summons us via snail mail" she explains to Katherine when she raises her eyebrow,

"He'll probably expect his invitation to the funeral to be hand-delivered on embossed paper by a liveried servant"

Katherine shifted in her seat, feeling the heavy food congeal in her stomach,

"Do you need me to mind Nadia?"

Thankfully her sister shook her head, "No…he loves his granddaughter, they have tea parties together"

The image of the prim, proper, staid and terrifying Giuseppe Salvatore sitting at a plastic kids table, pretending to drink tea with stuffed animals made Katherine laugh.

"Do you all have to go though?" Katherine asks, suddenly feeling lonely. She has barely contacted her sister in five years and seen her only three times in America but now…after only twenty-four hours having her back in her life she felt as if she would miss her steady presence.

Elena only smiles and wraps an arm around her shoulders, resting her sharp chin on her head,

"I'll make it quick as possible" she promised, "I'll stay long enough to let him know that we're getting the March of Orelands and that he'll be guaranteed front row seat to everything and then he'll send me racing back here to protect his interests"

Ah yes, Giuseppe Salvatore's interests.

The interests which were reliant on her marrying the king.

Her sister manages to leave before Katherine can make a vulgar remark about the burdens being placed on her vagina.

Meanwhile her father poured himself a cup of coffee before coming around the table and brushing her hair over her shoulder in a tender gesture that startled her, she couldn't remember the last time her father had been physically affectionate, he'd always been so reserved unless he was with her mother.

"There was a note for you as well" he tells her in the Romani tongue and she closes her eyes, enjoying hearing the language spoken again after so many years,

"Elijah's Press Secretary will be coming to see you this morning"

She opens her eyes and tilts her head back to see him, "Why?"

He shrugged with barely concealed humour, "I think she wants to prep you for the upcoming events"

Katherine frowned, she had already left Court by the time the palace started to catch up with modern technology. During her teenage years, there had been one Press Secretary, an old man who'd been a journalist back in the day and thought that print was the best and only way to go.

Now, there was apparently an entire press team and Mikael had become a trending hashtag.

But the idea of being prepped for the funeral and everything leading up to it?

She was Katerina Petrova, she'd been trained to be the queen, she didn't need prepping.

She gets to her feet with little grace, "I'll go get ready"

* * *

Royal Press Secretary Rose Ford, Head of the Royal Communications Department was living the dream.

Oh alright, the dream was slightly chaotic and at any moment her theoretical nine-to-six duties could suddenly become crack-of-dawn until whenever-she-collapsed-from-exhaustion but she loved her career nonetheless.

Even now when she was curled up on an uncomfortable settee that was older than white civilisation in America, in a room that has once been the official apartment of the Royal Mistresses but had been taken over by the communications team, trying to get a few minutes sleep after the long night. She still loved her job.

Admittedly, some days were _easier_ than others.

Such as days when the King _didn't_ die.

Not only did this mean that she'd had to dig up the royal protocol on handling the death of a monarch, figured out how to adjust it to deal with the twenty-first century expectations and was then told that as Aiden was Elijah's Private Secretary, over the next two months he would assume the role of Secretary to the Sovereign, which meant that Sebastian Roche, who'd been with King Mikael for his entire reign was being retired, and rumour had it that he was already quite unhappy with that. And as the Communications department was a branch of the Private Secretary's Office it meant that they'd likely be caught up in the unrest and office politics.

However, one made do.

She opened her eyes as the morning sun slowly lit up the room and her team shifted in their positions, their red eyes blinking and their backs aching after an entire night spent at their laptops monitoring the situation.

It was nine am and a full twenty-four hours after King Mikael's death had been announced and the team was scouring the major news and social media websites keeping track of the public's reaction and keeping an eye out for any issues.

So far everything had been going well. World leaders were issuing statements of condolence, the Palace twitter page was being filled with messages of support and the media was praising Prince…_King_ Elijah for his speech last night.

The only problem was that the reporters had noticed the pretty, brunette non-royal standing with the family behind Elijah as he addressed the nation and speculation had started pretty quickly.

She herself hadn't had a clue who she was until Aiden had explained her to Rose,

The Honourable Katerina Petrova, eldest daughter of Baron Petrova, Elijah's long-time fiancé.

And hadn't that been a let-down.

If Rose was being honest with herself, she was a little bit in love with Elijah Lothbrok.

Most of the women and even a few of the men who worked in proximity to the man on a daily basis were.

He was handsome, polite, chivalrous and had the sense of old-world charm, he enjoyed classical music, literature and looked dashing in suits and alright, it didn't hurt that marrying him would mean becoming a royal princess and the next Queen of Valhalla.

And _yes_, she had known he was engaged, he'd been wearing the ring on his finger ever since she'd met him but considering that no-one had ever actually seen hide or hair of his fiancé it had been pretty easy to forget that he wasn't single.

Now however, his fiancé had crawled out of the woodwork, conveniently on the same day Mikael died and she looked set to become the next Queen.

So, with the media clamouring for information on her, Rose now had to meet and prep the honourable lady, teach her how to handle the press and all the attention she would be getting from the public.

Because she didn't have anything better to do today than deal with a spoilt little airheaded aristocrat who'd probably say something stupid at the wrong moment and make all the more work for her.

Oh well. It could definitely be worse.

She could be working for the British Royal Family.

Handling sex scandal after racist remark after nude photograph and nazi costumes.

No thank-you.

"Hey boss" she opens her eyes as her second-in-command, the Communications Secretary for the Royal Princes and Princess Alexandra Branson- Lexi- sat down next to her knees, "Wake-up time!"

She groaned playfully, "No, you can't make me"

Lexi laughed, "No, I can't but the Wolf is on his way and you don't him to start growling"

Rose's groan was real this time.

Ansel Wolfsbane, Head of Royal Security.

He was in charge of all combatant and non-combatant guards and bodyguards for the Royal Family, he co-ordinated with every security force in the government and provided an annual security plan for the protection of the King and his family that affected not only them but every staff member in the palace.

Officially the man was under the command of the Secretary to the Sovereign, he was meant to report to him daily and receive approval for any plans he wanted to implement. Unofficially- he had made it quite damn clear that Secretary Roche could take any orders and shove them up his arse. If fact he'd used those exact words more than once and quite publicly within the palace.

When it came to the safety of the Royal Family Ansel did what he thought was best and didn't care if it inconvenienced anyone outside of the family.

Noble, but extremely irritating.

Rose had never really had much to do with the man, except she maintained a healthy fear and resentment of him. This was due to the fact that the first time she'd interacted with him was when her former boss Logan Fell had approved a press release that detailed Prince Niklaus' acceptance into the Night Wolves- Valhallan Army Elite Special Forces- and listed the region in which he was training.

Poor Logan hadn't realised that he'd committed an epic breach of security and military etiquette, not only officially confirming the existence of the Night Wolves, but listing the location of the division which was supposed to be top secret, especially when they had a member of the blood royal with them.

However, he'd realised pretty quickly when Ansel Wolfsbane had stormed into the office and loudly and quite colourfully ripped him a new one, using language that had possibly never been spoken aloud within the hallowed halls of the Royal Palace. He'd then fired the man- even though he hadn't the authority- and told him to get out of the country- again, _without authority_. Logan had gone to Secretary Roche but even with his considerable power he'd been unwilling to challenge Ansel, the man could quite easily make life a living hell for the lot of them.

So Logan had packed his things and been escorted out by foot guards and, after a year of unemployment, he'd managed to find work with the Hjart branch of _The Guardian_, covering all Royal news. Rose had accepted her promotion and now here she was, about to deal with the Wolf of Kattegat himself.

With a heavy sigh she sits up and takes the coffee Lexi offers her,

"Thanks, you got anything for me?"

She shakes her head, "Not really, Prince Klaus had taken leave from the Night Wolves and returned to the Palace but he hasn't been assigned any royal duties yet, I assume he'll be taking on all of King Elijah's former commitments after the funeral. Prince Kol partied it up in Mexico but nobody managed to get anything too scandalous or criminal on him. Princess Rebekah is missing school right now but I'm not sure whether she's going back to Lycee Louis le Grand or continuing her education here. Prince Henrik will be going back to boarding school a week after the funeral. I've drafted statements saying as much, just waiting for Sebastian to confirm the details before I hand them to you"

Rose sipped her coffee and took in all this information, she was about to reply when Ansel walked right through the open doors, taking in the mismatched desks which ranged from four hundred year old priceless antiques to twenty dollars from the bargain corner in IKEA and the people who were wearing suits but had kicked off their shoes and were all clutching caffeine of some kind. He looked behind him to Jackson- their appointed security guard- and raised an eyebrow. The young man offered a one shoulder shrug and bit back a smirk.

"Ms Ford" he came forward, extending his hand and Rose cursed the fact that she was sitting on the couch with her heels across the room and her clothes wrinkled, she'd been hoping to look professionally elegant when he came in, not like a business student in finals week.

"Mr Wolfsbane" she rose quickly and shook his hand, "How are you today?"

He exhaled through his nose and she felt a thrill of triumph at his annoyance, the man hated small talk, but even he had to concede to politeness in the Palace,

"Well" he answered, "And I was just coming to inform you about updates and adjustments in Palace security"

She feels her attention span packing its bags already, "Of course"

He held his hands behind his back, "I will send you over all the security details for the funeral once the arrangements for the ceremony have been completed, however the basics of what you need to know for now are as follows, Elijah's current bodyguards are being promoted so that they can continue working for him as per his request, in fact most of his household will be taking over from King Mikael's servants pending my vetting them. As Niklaus is now heir to the throne and on leave from the Night Wolves, he will be receiving a new detail that I will be handpicking personally, the rest of the children will be maintaining their current teams. And per new protocol, as Official Partner to His Royal Majesty and future Queen, Lady Katerina will be receiving a security detail. I am considering your brother Trevor for the role, pending her approval"

"_Trevor_?" Rose blurted, interrupting hi and focusing on the information that concerned her personally, "A bodyguard?"

Ansel nodded briskly, "He escorted her from the United States to Valhalla successfully, I believe that he could perform the duty effectively"

Trevor Ford. Her older step-brother. One of the youngest Generals in the Valhallan army reduced to a bodyguard for a spoilt brat.

She resisted the urge to toss her coffee into the arrogant bastard's face. "Very well, continue"

"As the Cousin's Palace is now going to employee a full staff I am going to be vetting everyone selected by the Master of the Household for the positions as well as appointing security and any modifications that might be needed"

"So" Lexi drawled, "Essentially you're going to be vetting upwards of one hundred people _personally_ and overhauling the security of a royal palace? And how long will this take?"

He tilts his head ever so slightly, acknowledging her, "I have already begun with a top-down method and those who pass are notified immediately so they can begin work. The whole process should be complete by the end of the week"

Rose's felt her eyebrows shoot up and struggled to force them back down and regain composure. She wondered what exactly went into the vetting process and whether Ansel would be sleeping at any point in the next five days.

"Alright" she cleared her throat, "Thank-you for the update, I have to go speak to the Lady Katerina today, would you like me to tell her as well?"

"Thank-you, no" he actually smiles then, a tiny but genuine smile, "I will be seeing her later to inform her personally"

He leaves then and even though he always strides through the palace like he's late to a meeting, Rose waits a full minute before turning to Lexi,

"Is it just me or does he actually like Elijah's fiancé?"

Lexi shrugs, "I've heard rumours that he's friendly in the presence of the royals, maybe he's capable of human emotion?"

"Other than anger and disapproval you mean?" she snorts, "I'll believe that when I see it"

She checks her watch, "Right, I have half an hour before I have to meet this mystery fiancé so if we happen to have any information on her, that'd be great"

Lexi winces, "Actual written down information is a no-go, she left Court before the commsec department came in, but…" she throws her a winning grin, "Would you know it? I'm best friends with her brother-in-law"

Rose shows her surprise this time. As a rule, the only time courtiers deigned to acknowledge the Royal staff was when they wanted something, and even then it was usually only those who had daily face time with the King or heir.

A servant who was on friendly speaking terms with either of those two elite could make a killing in backhanders, one of King Mikael's valets had earned twenty thousand in one year for casually conversing with the king about hunting but then he'd overplayed his hand. If you were caught selling your access to the royal family your position was terminated immediately and you faced prosecution.

And Lexi had access to the Royal…siblings she supposed they were now, no longer the Royal Children.

"May I ask how?" she inquires cautiously but there isn't even a hint of fear on her deputy's face,

"Stefan Salvatore- Katerina's brother-in-law- is friends with Prince Niklaus and was in the room when the prince was picking charities to support for his twenty-first birthday I suggested the Valhallan Leukaemia Foundation and when he asked why…I told him about my brother Leonard"

Seeing Rose had no idea what she was talking about Lexi elaborated, "My brother was diagnosed with Leukaemia when he was eight and I became his guardian after my mom died and my dad bailed, and because we were born in Greenland we didn't have citizenship before he got sick so we were denied universal healthcare, I was struggling to pay for his treatments but Stefan heard me talking about it and arranged for Leonard to be admitted to the Royal Hospital and given Valhallan citizenship. He was given priority in stem cell treatments and now he's in remission and gods willing, he stays that way"

Well, wasn't that sweet for a married man to go to such efforts for a total- albeit beautiful- stranger. Rose hoped her suspicious mind was wrong, certainly the way gossip raced around the palace she would have heard if her deputy was sleeping with a married aristocrat, still…she checks her watch, this is not getting her work done,

"Katerina Petrova" she prompts, "_Go_"

"Eldest daughter of Baron and Baroness Rose Seng, born 1994 at the local hospital, has a sister Elena who is married to Stefan and a niece Nadia. Both girls went to Rose Seng primary school and spent spring and summer term at the high school but winter and autumn term at Chateau de Rosey in Switzerland where most of the aristocrats send their kids. She was betrothed to Elijah at seventeen and then went to America for college at eighteen where she has been for the last five years"

She finishes and takes a deep breath and Rose processes the information, "Right, got it"

* * *

She forms an impression in her mind as she hurries from Kattegat to the Cousin's Palace, racing through to the front entrance hall so she'd have five minutes to catch her breath and compose herself before presenting her credentials to the guard at the door. Walking through the inner hall she was surprised to see a footman or well foot woman sitting at a white and gold desk,

"Ansel vetted you then" she spoke without thinking and the woman giggled,

"Just in time" she answered cheerily, "May I have your name please?"

"Ms Rose Ford, Royal Press Secretary Head of Communications, here to see Lady Katerina Petrova"

"Of course Ms Ford" the woman greeted, her finger already scrolling on her tablet for the schedule, "Lady Petrova will see you in the East Drawing Room"

A silent footman appeared through the doors and with a click of his heels turned around to lead her down the hall to a white and gold filigree door, he opened it for her and she stepped in, her eyes sweeping the room and seeing it empty,

"Lady Petrova will be with you shortly" he murmurs in a barely audible tone before disappearing again and she checks her watch, one minute to spare and stalks over to the gold settee facing the door, her footfalls cushioned by the plush rug. She's just setting her tablet on the table and mentally counting down from ten, about to reach one when the door opens again,

"Good morning" her voice breaks the silence of the room, "You must be Rose"

It takes her five seconds to curtsey and during that time her eyes scan every available detail.

Katerina is average height, beautiful, looked thin but she was adorned in black, she moved gracefully but there was something in her walk, a slight swagger or something equally confident. The nonchalance of the nobility perhaps?

She gives Rose's hand a quick shake and gestures for her to sit down,

"I've sent for tea and coffee" she informs her politely, "Are you hungry?"

She realises she hasn't had breakfast but looking at the girl in front of her, she doesn't want to risk clumsy eating and getting crumbs on her outfit. At least she'd changed before leaving.

"I'm fine, thank-you for agreeing to see me"

Katerina smiles politely, "Of course, how might I help you?"

She was well-spoken with a Valhallan accent, despite five years in America, she was dressed in high waist jeans with a sheer black top that exposed the black bra underneath, high heels that showed off her delicate feet and natural make-up. Technically she was wearing the required black mourning but she looked less mournful and more model.

She could not be seen outside like that.

Rose cleared her throat, "Well…as Elijah's fiancé, the eyes of the media will be on you from now until…well…until"

"Until the day I retire from public life due to old age or ill health" Katerina finishes for her as a maid brings in the tea tray, her friendly tone diminishing somewhat. They wait as the tea is placed before them, already steeping and when the door is closed again, Katerina scoots forward and pours two cups with skilled grace,

"From the moment I re-entered Valhallan society I re-entered the public eye"

She sips her tea and smiles over the cup, "Da Hong Pao tea" she says sweetly,

"The third most expensive tea in the world, from His Majesty's personal collection"

Rose was not a connoisseur of tea and as such, almost felt guilty drinking something so luxurious with no palate for it, all she could determine was that it had a floral taste,

"Following your presence behind His Majesty during his address last night there has been growing interest in you and I would like to compile a profile so that the public might recall who you are"

Katerina gave a truly delicate shrug that Rose wished she could herself perform, setting her cup down on the gold coaster provided she settled back against the settee, her clothes hugging her body and her curls draping over her shoulders.

She was so insouciantly seductive and Rose had a momentary fantasy of Elijah kissing her on that couch, "Ask away"

Forcing herself to concentrate she picked up her tablet and accessed her notepad,

"Well, I know your history, you went to primary school in your local village and spent two terms a year of high school there too?"

Katerina nodded, "Yes, my father wanted my sister and I to connect with the people of Rose Seng, to know them and be a part of the community, it was slightly more difficult attending two very academically different high schools but we had classes by correspondence during our summer and spring terms, I undertook the International Baccalaureate in both English and French and graduated with awards of excellence. I received early admittance into Whitmore University in America which is the leading university in the country for its focus on ethnic minorities in relation to Globalization and Climate change and I graduated summa cum laude and Valedictorian with a degree in Political Science and Diploma of Spanish, I was pursuing my Masters in International Development before King Mikael's untimely death"

Rose listens to the rote recollection of Katerina's academic career and picks up the pride in her tone, pride she can't even condemn the woman for, it is impressive although listing it in a media profile would likely alienate the general public who didn't have access to the most expensive boarding school in Europe.

She notes it down however while her journalistic brain whirls,

"And your personal life?" she asks with feigned sweetness, "When did you fall in love with His Majesty?"

Admittedly, a part of her, the tiny part that daydreamed of the handsome King falling in love with his Press Secretary, had hoped to catch her out, but Katerina only lowered her gaze with an almost innocent, school girl blush,

"I met Elijah when I was fifteen…a month before I turned sixteen" she corrects hastily and Rose decides to make it sixteen for the sake of propriety,

"We fell in love…" she opens her mouth and frowns slightly, "I can't really remember ever _not_ being in love with him, I suppose it was after the first time we met, we first kissed at my debutante ball and he proposed to me when I was seventeen" she runs her thumb over the large engagement ring on her finger,

"I was a fan of Marie Antoinette at the time, I had dressed as her for a masquerade so he proposed to me with her own wedding ring"

"Seventeen is awfully _young_ to be engaged" Rose points out and Katerina chews her lip,

"This is common knowledge in the aristocracy anyway but at the time, I was technically betrothed to Kol- Prince Kol and the only way that arrangement could be broken was if I made another match, Elijah and I were deeply in love and…" she sighs,

"You might hear rumours in the palace of the _closet incident _we were caught _in flagrante delicato_ and well" she waves her hand and rolls her eyes,

"At that point it was either betrothal or shame on us both"

Rose types a few notes on her keyboard and tries to see this as something other than two foolishly in love youngsters who were now half a decade older and still not married,

"You were away from Court for five years?" she questions and the warmth in Katerina's eyes from recalling her romance fades,

"Six years" she corrects, "When I became engaged to Elijah, Queen Esther- Gods be with her- began training me for my future role as queen"

"Away from the Royal palace?" Rose jumps on that fact, "Surely it would have made more sense to train you at Court?"

Katerina shifts position, "Probably but unbeknownst to many, the poor queen was ill, under the pretext of training me we retired to Ensamhet Castle where I did undergo training and then later… I cared for Esther during her final days"

She blinks slowly and Rose senses her grief before she continues with her charming air and cavalier tone,

"And then when I returned, as per Esther's suggestion I asked leave to retire from Court whilst I pursued my degree. She wanted me to have the opportunity her children would not have to study and live as a private citizen capable of associating with regular people, I adopted the name Katherine Pierce in America and did as she requested"

What a story, a nice, charming story.

With only a few loose threads that could unravel everything, but that was an issue for another time. Rose smiles and sips her now cooling tea,

"How lovely, and now that you're back, when do you and His Majesty plan to wed?"

"In a year" Katerina answers, "There is a traditional mourning period and all the planning to account for"

"Of course" she concurs, "Now, as his fiancé you will face a lot of media attention and as I am his Press Secretary, I will likely be assigned to you as well, as such I will handle all communications between various organisations, the media and you. I will advise you on how to handle your response and issue statements in your name"

"With my permission of course" Katerina interjects sharply and Rose grits her teeth as she smiles,

"_Of course_, now we'll have to talk about your image…"

"Sweet country girl with a happy family from the rose district who fell in love with the heir to the throne" she interrupts,

"Deeply in love, a true fairy-tale from the chance meeting to the wedding in a year's time"

Rose can't resist eyeing the girl's outfit again, for a fairy-tale princess she is dressed a lot like the villain,

"That would surely catch the public imagination but it might get old quickly in this day and age, after all Duchess Kate in England and Princess Mary in Denmark already have that story"

"So I shouldn't tell the truth?" Katerina asked sarcastically, "What's my story then?"

Rose pressed her nails against the backing of her tablet,

"Well, perhaps we could expand further on your betrothal at seventeen and your training under Queen Esther?"

Katerina sighed clearly out of patience, "Look, who do I need to be? Lofty heiress? Young woman in love? Girl next door? I can be anything you ask so long as you don't ask me to be myself"

_Fuck_.

Rose blinked, that statement had been delivered with an annoyed tone but something there was something there that was so raw…

"I'll send my deputy Ms Branson around later today to flesh out the profile" she offers weakly and receives a satisfied nod,

"Wonderful, I look forward to meeting her" she rises smoothly and holds out her hand, gripping hard enough this time to hurt Rose's fingers,

"Shall I see you out?"

* * *

When Rose returns to the Press Office fifteen minutes later, she's still stunned and slightly mortified. She manages to regain her composure when her team swarms around her, eager for details about the mystery fiancé.

"She's beautiful" she tells them firstly, as she sits down at her desk, "Absolutely beautiful, graceful, well-dressed and well-spoken but also very intelligent, aristocracy so there won't be any media backlash about raising a commoner but she was part of the community in her village so she won't be inapproachable…all in all" she surmises, "I think we have a wonderful future queen"

* * *

Katherine did her best not to stomp as she strode back to her apartments.

Did her best not to clench her fists.

Did her best not to show her fury and frustration on her face.

Damn Press Secretary.

Damn woman with her condescending tone, her judgmental look.

Katherine knew when she was being condemned as a slut for the way she dressed.

And apparently a power-hungry gold digger too.

As if a seventeen year old girl could have caught the twenty-two year old Crown Prince if he hadn't fallen for her first.

Gods knew that it would have taken more than the promise of power or the crown jewels to keep her around after everything.

The woman worked for Elijah, she should swallow whatever story she was told to.

If Katherine told her that she was a young girl who'd fallen madly in love with a man who just happened to be heir to the throne, she should accept that as truth.

After all, it had been the truth.

Once Upon a Time.

She walks into her interior apartment and shuts the door behind her, pressing her palms and lower back against the polished wood and looks down at her legs, positioned so that her heels are against the carpeted floor.

Fairy tales always ended too soon.

Right after the Prince and Princess rode off happily into the sunset.

They never warned little girls about what happened when night fell.

* * *

A/N- I don't know what happened here, I think I'm building a really complex fucking world here.


	7. Chapter 7- Elijah

A/N- So we're starting with a flashback and at the moment the story is going day by day with the perspective of the characters. I'm tempted to start listing the days at the beginning of the chapters, let me know if people are getting confused.

AA/N- I laughed at Freya's statement in TO that she alone mourned Mikael because she alone loved him. That's right honey, he had a wife, five children and one stepchild and you alone mourned him. What does that say about the man?

* * *

"_Papa…Papa! Oh…"_

_Elijah's head shot up and he nearly clocked poor Dr Petrova in the jaw when the office door flew open and a pretty young girl burst in, paper in her hand and a surprised expression on her face when she sees him there. _

_For the quickest moment she doesn't recognise him and offers a friendly smile before her mind catches up with her and her eyes widen as she blushes deeply and curtsies._

_He nods but doesn't speak, he doesn't quite know what to say and more importantly, he doesn't know which of Dr Petrova's daughters this is. _

_That question is cleared up in a matter of seconds however, _

"_Katerina!" Dr Petrova snapped, his hands on Elijah's arm to keep him from moving as he presses down the syringe, _

_"I am with a patient…you know better"_

_Etiquette now demands that the young lady apologise and withdraw but she- Katerina, the older one?- does neither, although she does close the door, which is greatly helpful because the Crown Prince of Valhalla is shirtless and would rather not be seen by whomever wished to walk past. _

"_You're in your office" she argues, "Not your clinic, how was I supposed to know you had anyone in here?"_

"_You still should have knocked" he grumbles, "What would you have done if the Crown Prince had been naked?" _

_Elijah grows redder at the idea that he could have been seen naked, gods, what if he'd been undergoing a prostate exam? _

_To have lost all his dignity, the humiliation would have killed him. _

"_Taken photos, sold them and become a billionaire?" _

_He finds himself chuckling and is as surprised as the other two occupants in the room. It's nearly on the tip of his tongue to apologise but he can't, after all, he is the Crown Prince, a fact impressed upon him daily by his father._

_Still, Lady Katerina shares a guilty, albeit cheeky smile with him, _

_"Sorry" she mouths as her father is busying himself with the disposal of the syringe in his clinic next door and he enjoys this secretive moment of disobedience between the two of them. This feeling of comradeship. _

"_Is there a reason you're invading my office then?" Dr Petrova asks in defeat, wiping his hands as he comes back in, "Or did you simply decide to disrupt my day?" _

_She pouts at the annoyance in his tone and shifts, leaning her weight on one foot,  
_

_"Why should I tell you if you're mean to me?" _

_He gives her a fed up look and jerks his head towards Elijah,  
_

_"Perhaps because the Crown Prince has better things to do today than hear us argue"_

_In truth, the Crown Prince of Valhalla was enjoying every second of this family spectacle. It was entertaining to gain this insight into his usually reserved doctor's life. _

_And it was beyond refreshing to find himself interacting in a situation where the focus was not on him, he could be a part of something without being forced into the centre purely because of his standing. _

_Lady Katerina held up the papers in her hand, "I was ranked first in my class" she reveals with a proud smirk which becomes a full blown smile when Dr Petrova embraces her, holding her tightly as he praises her, _

"_Congratulations" Elijah offers quietly, so quietly that it's almost inaudible even to him but Katerina catches his eye and mouths "Thank-you" _

"_Go and tell your mother kitten" the doctor prompts as he releases his daughter, and she spins gracefully on her heel, her hand on the doorknob before she turns back, _

"_With your leave, Your Highness" she requests, dropping into a perfect curtsy. _

_Not with his leave actually. Elijah would much rather she stay and keep…keep allowing him to intrude upon her happiness, upon this moment. _

_But do make this request would be foolish and embarrassing so he only nods, "Good-bye"_

_Once again his voice is lost but she smiles and darts out, leaving the door wide open until the doctor pushes it closed. _

"_Please forgive my daughter Your Highness," Dr Petrova sighed, "Katerina is as wilful as the day is long, far too aware of her charm to accept the word 'no'" _

_Elijah accepts the man's apology even as he is distracted by the tone of love and pride with which Dr Petrova speaks of his daughter. _

_He's never heard his own father speak of him or any of his full-blood siblings that way and he has a moment of insane envy towards this family that displayed more love in a few moments than he has known in years._

_But that is not their fault. _

"_She's intelligent" he prompted, "Ranked first in her class?" _

_Dr Petrova chuckles, "She's determined to be brilliant, to show her peers that it isn't a matter of inheritance or breeding, but then again" he winces theatrically, "Katerina is the best equestrian in our district" _

_For the second time that day the Crown Prince laughs. _

* * *

When Elijah arrives back at the Palace it's barely six am and just the right moment before the changing of the guards. When the security personnel from the night shift are starting to feel every minute of their job and the day shift haven't arrived yet. He's waved through without any questions and pulls into the garage, shutting off the engine and leaning his head back against the head rest with a sigh.

The Royal Garage had been the Royal Carriage House until 1920 when they'd started storing more cars than carriages there but no modifications had been made. The interior of the room was pleasantly dark with a few windows spread out over the large space, the brown bricked floor and the chandelier that hung in the centre was rather modest by palace standards but ridiculous for the storing of cars. Still, the relative silence of the space allowed him to close his eyes and almost sink back into sleep.

He'd left Gia sitting on her couch, eating cereal and browsing social media on her i-pad. He knows she's just on her sites, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, she doesn't read gossip magazines and is still shaky enough in the fiery, complicated Viking tongue that she doesn't read the main newspapers of the country.

So Elijah has a small grace period before she'll hear about his fiancée having returned to Valhalla.

Not that she doesn't _know_ about Katerina.

He told her before they ever became intimate, before she even learned who he was.

He'd told her Katerina's name and the fact that they were engaged but Gia had never asked for any more information and he'd never given it.

The two of them existed in a private world separate from everything else. Outside and away from their commitments and careers, their friends and family.

She hadn't told anyone she was seeing him and he had gone to great lengths to hide her away.

In fact the only person who knew about Gia…

Was the one tapping on his car window with his emerald ring, Elijah doesn't even have to open his eyes to see who is standing there.

There is really only one person who'd be awake at this hour and would disturb him like this,

"Good Morning, Your Majesty" Ansel says with his respectful tone _almost_ covering up the disapproval.

"Enjoy your early morning drive?"

That was the story his head of security went with, often altering the reports so that it appeared that Elijah had taken the car from the garage only an hour before.

"Yes" Elijah replies with a clipped tone, he's not in the mood for an early morning lecture from the man about the dangers of him driving around unaccompanied by body guards or spending the night in a regular apartment. He's heard it all before.

Multiple times.

He climbs out of the car and stretches, reaching automatically for the coffee cup in Ansel's hand before the man moves it out of reach,

"Sorry, Your Majesty but this one is mine"

Elijah blinks in surprise, Ansel was the one who gave him his first espresso when he was ten years old and his first energy drink when he was fifteen. He was the sole reason there were coffee stations in every wing of the palace and mini-fridges fully stocked with caffeinated sodas hidden away underneath them.

"You wouldn't like the taste" the man offers as explanation and Elijah smirks in disbelief,

"Don't tell me Petrova finally has you on decaf?"

Ansel shakes his head and holds out an arm, gesturing to the entry way to the garage where he can see one of his suits hanging in a clear garment bag. He leads the man over and takes it off the rusty nail that had been there since the seventeen hundreds and nobody had bothered removing. The mechanics and valets that worked in the palace now rubbed it for luck.

The head mechanic, a man who'd been nicknamed Lou by the younger generation of courtiers and long since stopped answering to anything else, had an office right next to the garage, an overlooked room in the palace with a rather vulgar calendar hanging on the wall. Ansel bundles him into the room and waits with his back turned while Elijah begins changing,

"This coffee is essentially espresso and Turkish coffee brewed down to its most concentrated with some Adderall mixed in" he explains,

"I'm almost certain it would be attempted regicide to share this with you"

"I haven't been to bed yet" he continues when he sees Elijah's horrified expression,

"Ansel" he took a proper look at the man now and saw the red eyes, the pale face and the twitching hands,

"How much caffeine have you had since yesterday?"

His Head of Security took another sip and shuddered at the taste,

"I am personally overseeing the security for the funeral, coronation, vetting your staff so they can serve a monarch and picking new staff and security for both Prince Klaus and Lady Katerina" he declares in one breath, "I've scheduled myself for a nap after the funeral"

Elijah slips on his shirt and buttons it quickly, feeling caffeinated just by being in proximity to the man,

"Please switch to decaf before you start hearing colours and seeing sound"

Ansel gives him a tight smile, "I'll have a full report regarding current security measures on your desk by ten am, I already have a preliminary plan for the funeral and coronation but it's dependent on the final arrangements. I have to speak to the Communications Department later today informing them of these changes so they can field any questions from the press regarding security, otherwise- with your leave, Your Majesty?"

Elijah nodded as he reached for his clean tie, "What about my phone?"

Ansel cleared his throat, turning to the door, "You will be issued a new one by the end of today"

The King gripped the strip of silk in his hand, "Ansel" he called the man back, staring at his straight back,

"I know you disapprove of my relationship with Gia"

"Your _affair_?" Ansel retorted rudely, using the ruse of clarification to make the jab and Elijah felt his blood rise,

"Very well, my affair, the affair I indulged in during the five year separation from my fiancée. Should I have demanded Katerina remain in Valhalla or return at intermittent periods solely so that I could maintain a healthy sex life without being unfaithful?"

He hates the embarrassment he feels talking about his sex life with man who'd been serving his family as far back as he could remember. Who had known him his entire life and been a source of comfort, support and unending loyalty.

"No but the Lady Katerina has returned now" he continues and Elijah has to remind himself that this man had his reasons for being utterly devoted to his future queen.

"Yes and she has not even been back for twenty-four hours" he exhales and runs his tongue over his teeth,

"She'll need time to prepare for her role, to…get used to everything again. Having been trained for the position and experiencing everything first-hand are two rather different sensations, the last thing she will need is me demanding…well I don't suppose they're my conjugal rights yet but you understand the predicament"

Ansel nods but this time there's comprehension in his eyes and Elijah shifts uncomfortably, hoping that the list of people who gain this great an understanding of his relationship with Katerina remains as short as possible.

* * *

He leaves and Elijah waits three minutes before making his way back to his rooms. He walks casually, knowing that if he hurries people will think that he has something to hide, fortunately the cover story that he enjoyed taking early morning drives around the palace grounds meant that none of the palace staff who were already at work thought to question his presence, only greeting him respectfully as they went about their duties.

He made it all the way to his antechamber before being confronted.

"Little brother!"

He nearly jumps out of his skin and then closes his eyes, cursing.

There were only two people in the world who could call him 'Little brother' and coincidentally, the two people he would least prefer addressing him by that title.

He spins on his heel, "Your Majesty" he points out as they approach, his footman looking apologetic as he followed them,

Of course they would wait until now to approach him, the second day of his reign so that they weren't required to kneel to him.

Typical.

Finn feigns surprise and looks around the empty room,

"I didn't realise we had to stand on ceremony here" he chuckles, "After all, we're family are we not? What is etiquette when it comes to family?"

"A requirement when the greater part of the family is royalty and the nation's king stands before you" Elijah responds and Finn flinches at being outwitted.

"Your Majesty" Freya intones gravely and curtsies deeply and he offers her his hand to kiss. When Finn follows suit he yanks his hand away before his lips can touch his flesh,

"I assume there's a reason you're here this early in the morning?" he asks, nodding to his footman to open the curtains and let the morning sun in.

"Oh well…" Finn sighs, "We simply wanted a moment with you, before all your duties which I assume you have a great many today. Luckily for us we heard about your predilection for _early morning drives_"

Elijah struggled to maintain his composure, his jaw clenching and his muscles tensing.

Why had Finn said that? Had he emphasised those last three words? Did he know about Gia?

No. Surely not, if he did then he would have leaked the information to the media, he would have relished the chance to damage Elijah's reputation.

"I'll have to let Ansel know there's been a lapse in security, if word has spread this far" he strides to the window and contemplates sitting down in the armchair whilst forcing his older, illegitimate half-siblings to remain standing.

No, best not.

"Perhaps you should fire him?" Finn suggested lightly and Elijah raised his eyebrows, genuinely surprised that he had said that.

As Mikael's illegitimate children, the result of his affair with Dahlia Black- a theatre actress- Finn and Freya weren't considered worthy of any deference or place at Court or in their society. They were hybrids, on the one hand the children of the most powerful man in the country, on the other they didn't even warrant official titles or privileges.

However, when Ansel had become Head of Royal Security, he had assigned both children bodyguards. Not out of necessity but so they could feel less ostracised, less humiliated when in the presence of their royal siblings and friends.

He had always been kind and respectful to them.

Before Elijah can recall whether or not the vase on the table is an antique or has enough historical relevance that he can't lob it at Finn's head, there's a knock on the door and his harried footman comes in,

"His Royal Highness Prince Niklaus" he announces with more deference than strictly necessary and Elijah winks and nods at him.

Niklaus obviously had been warned that Finn and Freya were in the Palace because he was wearing his military uniform with medals pinned over his heart.

Finn colours with embarrassment, or perhaps envy?

He and Freya had both graduated from Kannedom University and were both capable of having careers but instead chose to live on the personal allowance that illegitimate children acknowledged by the King were granted for the duration of their lives.

If asked, Finn would say that he was a philanthropist or a lobbyist but it was a fun game for Elijah and his brothers to interrogate the bore in-depth about which charities or not-for-profits he supported and which causes he supposedly lobbied for and to whom.

"Oh Niklaus" Freya wept as she gathers him into her arms and buries her face in his neck,

"Oh poor brother, how sad you must be to have been orphaned. Poor Mikael…he was too good for this world"

That said a lot more about the current state of the world than it did about Mikael's virtues.

Elijah can see that Niklaus is thinking along the same lines as himself but manages to display remarkable strength in disentangling himself from their half-sister before he says anything inappropriate.

"You'll need us of course" Freya murmurs, her voice still thick and raspy with grief,

"We are a family and must stick together now more than ever, the younger children will need our support"

Elijah blinks and frowns, guilt stabbing him in the stomach when he realises that he hadn't even considered how Rebekah or Henrik would be coping with Mikael's death. He'd been caught up in his ascendancy to King and his duties that he'd only thought to comfort Niklaus and then, once he'd seen that Kol appeared to be fine…

He forgotten that not all his siblings had endured the same antagonistic relationship that he had with their father. Rebekah and Henrik could have even loved him.

And Kol.

But Elijah doesn't like to focus on his second brother, not when Katerina will be standing beside him with his engagement ring on her finger and his love bite on her neck.

"We'll need to be briefed about the funeral" Finn announces, straightening up and gazing around the room with his air of self-importance,

"Now that we are the siblings and not the children we'll have to know about our position in regards to precedence and honours"

"You aren't the siblings" Elijah corrects without thinking, his brain catching up a moment later and he flushes at the two pairs of scandalised eyes staring back at him,

"The title of Siblings to the King only applies to legitimate, full-blood siblings" he explains,

"According to custom, you aren't my siblings but the children of the late King"

And Elijah was rather certain that whilst that meant they maintained their current positions for the funeral, there was no obligation to invite them to his coronation. In fact, traditionally the royal bastards usually retired from Court following the death of their parent.

Finn gapes like a fish, "But…surely we will be standing in place of honour for Mikael's funeral"

"We loved him" Freya sobbed, "He was our beloved father"

So that was where all his positive parenting energy had gone.

"You should speak to the Master of Ceremonies" Niklaus suggested,

"I'm sure there's a guide for this sort of thing and he's still finalising everything so you should get an answer shortly after we do"

Neither of them seemed happy with this answer but there wasn't much more they could say, they took their leave with as much disgruntlement as they dared show in the palace and when they were gone Elijah sank down onto the couch with a sigh, covering his eyes with his hand,

"Remind me that it is wrong to exile or imprison people according to my whims" he instructed his brother who only laughed,

"Far be it from me to contradict my King" he replies jokingly before he glanced back at the door with a furrowed brow,

"Mikael's funeral" he muses aloud, "I'm not one hundred percent sure but wouldn't precedence be myself, Kol, Rebekah, Henrik and then…" he pauses and his eyes flicker up to the ceiling as he thinks it over, "Katerina will be beside you which means…"

"Petrova family, Salvatore family and then Genevieve and the triplets" Elijah finished his brother's thought,

"Maybe Genevieve and the triplets will go before the Petrova's but either way Finn and Freya will find themselves behind them"

"They will not be happy about that" he hisses and Elijah suddenly feels utterly exhausted,

"Well that's unfortunate" he decided, "Because there isn't anything they can do about it"

"You aren't concerned that they might cause trouble for the Petrova's?" Niklaus asked curiously but Elijah shrugged,

"For Finn and Freya's sake…I truly hope not"

* * *

Giuseppe Salvatore was a rare man.

One who knew that he had reached his full potential and could sit back in satisfaction as he continued to reap the benefits of his hard work.

During an age when most of his peers had been content to squander their natural gifts, to spend their lives unemployed, to let their family fortunes and prestige dwindle, believing they deserved to be rich and powerful without continuous effort to earn it, he had put his nose to the grindstone and striven to be known as more than Giuseppe, son of Zachariah Salvatore.

That was how his cousin had been referred to his entire life, Vincenzo, son of Roberto Salvatore and now his family fortune was gone. He'd been forced to send his son Lorenzo from Florence to Giuseppe and beg for him to find a place for the boy.

Which he had. Using the power and prestige he had earned, to get Lorenzo a position within the Royal Household and now, his cousin was Master of the Household and indebted to Giuseppe.

Giuseppe Salvatore, not Giuseppe, son of Zachariah Salvatore.

Who even remembered Zachariah Salvatore after Giuseppe had become one of the most skilled diplomats of the twentieth century?

A man who had dined with the greatest politicians of the age and matched them intellectually.

A man who had outwitted Stalin himself whilst conducting international affairs to the benefit of Valhalla and the praise of its King.

King Mikael.

The man had been a schemer himself and admired Giuseppe for his superior skill.

And when Giuseppe had brought word to him of the marriage between his son Stefan and Lady Elena Petrova, he had not only saved the Petrova's further shame but changed the mind of the angry king.

"Well…" His Majesty had drawled, "Perhaps there is something in this family after all"

A compliment from the man if ever there had been one.

Yet not entirely undeserved, even Giuseppe would begrudgingly admit that.

His family lineage and nobility went back five hundred years, the Petrova family had only just recently passed the five decade mark. A doctor, a former model and two daughters. Well-off but not particularly wealthy, nobody had expected much of them until Esther had appointed Alexander the Royal doctor. Some had raised an eyebrow then, muttered something about upstart gypsies and magic but the Petrova's had kept to themselves.

He remembered he'd first encountered the family at the 2007 Autumn ball. He and his two sons had arrived at Kattegat Palace in full ceremony only to be approached in the Reception Hall by the Master of the Ceremonies and informed that they were to be seated beside the Petrova family.

"_Nonsense" he'd scoffed, "I am the Count of Mörkt trä, Earl of Skydda respectively, I do not sit with lowly Barons" _

_The man in front of him, whose name he had never even bothered learning, was weak and cowardly, quivering with humiliation and stuttering over his apologies. _

"_For…forgive me My lord, but there's been a…a shift of precedence and the Petrova's have been moved to the left table between you and Earl Rogbarth and as such…"_

"_Precedence does not shift" Giuseppe snapped, losing his patience with this prank,  
_

_"It has not shifted in thousands of years and it did not shift tonight. Sit them somewhere else" _

"_I can't your lordship" the man wailed, "Everyone ranked higher than yourself has already refused to be seated with them and the Queen has asked that the family be seated on the left table, the only option left is yourself or one of the other families swapping out with guests on the right table" _

_Giuseppe was about to demand that the man do just that when he caught the eye of the Russian Ambassador. The diplomat was clearly enjoying the spectacle and if another family, a lesser family was shifted to the right table, the spectacle would continue and perhaps even cause a scandal. So with a sharp inhale, Giuseppe had acquiesced and led his sons to their seats, deciding as he strode through the glittering room that he would absolutely not stand or greet the lowly family. _

_The smirks and taunting glances of those who ranked higher than him- those very few- infuriated the man and he kept his eyes straight in front of him, observing the room with a dignified air and burning inside. _

_Stefan was the first to notice the Petrova's arrival and Giuseppe observed them out of the corner of his eye. _

_Baron Petrova was nothing extraordinary, a regular albeit slightly handsome man. Baroness Petrova was still a beautiful woman, with her brunette hair cascading freely down her back and her grey eyes that seemed to see everything but betray nothing. She had been one of the most successful models in Valhalla and a minor celebrity across Europe, bobbing in and out of the upper class echelon on the arms of various titled men. Giuseppe himself had considered asking her out but his rank wouldn't allow a relationship with an untitled woman, even if she was independently wealthy. Still, he'd heard that she'd received marriage proposals from several counts, earls and even the Duke of Gynelle, a Royal Cousin himself which would have been quite the achievement for her. Yet the woman had refused them all and settled on Baron Petrova instead.  
_

_Poor woman had obviously chosen love instead of power. _

_A foolish mistake, love was fleeting but power was everything. _

_Still, she sweeps across the room as if it were a catwalk, flanked by her two daughters, not twins but close enough in appearance that those who did not interact with them didn't bother learning how to tell them apart. All three were equally beautiful and, while most of the ladies attending the ball tonight had dressed in shades of brown or orange in keeping with the theme, they were dressed far more subtly, so that one had to study their gowns to pick out the floral designs and as such, had to stare and find themselves admiring not only the dress but the wearer. _

_Stefan, stupidly not picking up on Giuseppe's fury, clumsily stands when the family reaches their seats and he glares at him, even as one of the Petrova girls smiles brilliantly and greets him casually as if there wasn't a vast distance between the two of them. Baron Petrova sees that Giuseppe isn't going to rise and settles for a curt nod, pulling out chairs for his wife and his daughters. _

_Stefan continues to display a- hopefully temporary- lapse in judgement and engages the family in conversation which Damon- obviously seeing Giuseppe's displeasure- joins. _

_Seeing that there is nothing to be done but maintain a dignified silence, Giuseppe sits back and observes the situation, pretending that he was at a diplomatic gathering and taking notes for future reference. _

_Baron Petrova was polite, well-spoken but made little contribution to the conversation, choosing to be a part of it but let others hold the spotlight. The Baroness made witty quips and clever remarks but it was the two daughters who shone. The one with curled hair was clearly the more intelligent of the two, the more mature and polished in her actions. The one with the straight hair was bubbly, excited and laughing often. _

_His idiotic sons were besotted. They barely even touched their food throughout the six courses and when dessert was cleared away and attention began to turn towards the ball room where the dancing would commence, the curled hair girl was called away by a footman and Damon- to Giuseppe's utmost shame- asked the straight haired girl if her sister was single. _

"_Oh" she laughed, "No, I'm single but Kat's not…actually that's why we're sitting here instead of our usual spot, Queen Esther said that now Kat and Kol are betrothed that we have to…"_

"_Elena!" Baron Petrova snapped quickly but too late. Only through long experience with being dealt shocking news was Giuseppe able to mask his reaction. _

_The daughter of a lowly baron was engaged to the Prince Kol, third-in-line, to the throne? _

_Interesting. _

_He caught the eye of Baroness Petrova as she raised her champagne flute and she winked at him over the glass. He might have been wrong about her, perhaps the woman had married for power after all. _

_Either way, the betrothal was not yet common knowledge and until that time, the Petrova's would continue to be ignored by the higher ranked nobles, whilst he- Giuseppe- could ingratiate himself with them and in turn, the Royal Family. _

A knock on the door startles him from his reverie and he glances up from his desk, "Enter"

His butler sidles into the room, "Your daughter-in-law, Mrs Salvatore, Your Lordship"

He checks the antique clock on his desk, she was right on time.

Good.

"Send her in"

Giuseppe had been violently disappointed when his younger son- his heir since he'd disavowed Damon- had eloped with Elena when they were both sixteen and had been stupid enough to get her with child. If Giuseppe hadn't been out of potential heirs, he would have disowned Stefan in that very moment.

Elena was not the Petrova daughter he would have preferred to welcome into the family.

In fact, Giuseppe reckoned that she would have made a better queen than Katerina, she was smart but not intellectually brilliant, sweet instead of saucy, pretty but not seductively so. She would have been a lovely accompaniment to the King but otherwise would have settled into the background, content to be a mother and provide the Lothbrok's with their heirs.

Katerina on the other hand, if she had been paired with Stefan his son would have become a Duke before he was thirty. She was the right combination of clever, beautiful, charming and ambitious, she drew attention and made people fall in love with her.

Still, with Elena came a lasting connection to the Royal Family.

If all went to plan.

His daughter-in-law was dressed formally and curtsied, "Good morning father"

He sniffed and waved his hand, permitting her to sit which she did quickly and silently,

"How is the situation in the capital?" he asked brusquely, looking down at the papers in front of him as he did so,

"There are a few at the Court pretending to mourn the King but mostly people are relieved or eager to get in with Elijah"

Giuseppe winced at her casual use of the King's name and her disrespect of King Mikael but otherwise allows her to continue,

"My sister returned yesterday at Elijah's request and was at the address last night, he's also promised our family honours following the marriage" she smiles with pride, "Stefan and I are going to be the Marquis and Marchioness of Orelands and Nadia will be granted a Duchy when she turns eighteen"

His son will be a Marquis and his grand-daughter will be a Duchess. He allows himself the smallest of smiles at the thought but then remembered that a promise in the world of politics meant nothing.

And a royal promise very little more than that.

"All this is dependent on your sister marrying the King" he reminds her, "Your sister who has been away from Court for five years"

Elena tucked her hair behind her ear, "She's back now, Eli…the King" she corrects, finally noting his displeasure at the lack of formality in her speech,

"Sent for her personally and had her brought back with Prince Kol, she's staying in the Blue Rooms of the Cousin's Palace and was behind him during his address last night. They still love each other"

Giuseppe snorts and nearly rolls his eyes at that last foolish sentiment.

Love. Love had no place at Court or in their world, it weakened people, ruined them.

But if the Petrova's wished to disguise their ambitions as true love…well it suited him for the moment and there was always a way for him to cut them loose if they failed him.

Divorce for example.

He stands up and Elena rises gracefully with her head bowed,

"I will expect to be seated beside your father at the funeral and coronation" he informs her, "With Nadia beside me of course"

The silly simpleton frowns and opens her mouth to argue, "I don't think children will be invited to the events"

Giuseppe waves his hand impatiently, "Nonsense, Nadia will be perfectly well-behaved, besides both events will be attended by royalty and politicians from around the world so she will be one of the smartest people in attendance"

He pulls the bell on the wall and waits for his butler to appear, "Please escort Mrs Salvatore to the library, I will be in the Winter Salon and unavailable for the next two hours"

"Very Good, My Lord"

* * *

The Winter Salon was positioned, unlike the Summer Salon, to catch the sunlight from mid-morning onward. The room was decorated with silver plate and pale blue silk wallpaper that had been imported from China back at the turn of the twentieth century.

When he entered the room in ceremony, Nadia- adorned in a white dress with a robins blue bow at the back and her hair suitably curled and beribboned- spun around with a gasp and curtsied as neatly as a four year old girl is able.

Giuseppe walks forward, his gold cane clicking on the stone as he glances up at the clock that so enchants his grand-daughter. She was always enthralled when it struck midday and it played the second movement of Vivaldi's Winter Concerto for an entire minute while a figurine of the Snow Queen twirled gracefully and cast winter onto the world.

It had been a gift to his own grandfather by the Swedish Royal Family and when the time came it would be Nadia's.

"Good-day Grandfather" she comes forward now and slips her tiny hand into his own and despite the stiffening of old age, Giuseppe bends over and kisses it,

"Good-day granddaughter, I trust you are well?"

She nods carefully, "Very well thank-you"

He smiles and guides her to the silver table by the window, holding her chair out for her and clicking his fingers to summon the servants forward.

Despite her youth, Nadia maintains her composure as the cake tray is placed before them with delicacies made for them personally in Kattegat and delivered the night before. Tea is poured for them in expensive china and perfect sugar cubes added to Nadia's cup. Giuseppe couldn't stand the adding of sugar to tea, he considered it English and weak but Nadia was too young yet to have developed the necessary palate for luxury tea. So for her, they drank peppermint with sugar and occasionally…very rarely, they even had a spoon of milk.

Those who had met Giuseppe Salvatore were stunned to know that he had regular tea parties with his granddaughter. His peers, having known him all his life, had been shocked beyond belief that he had not disinherited Stefan as he had Damon, that he not only acknowledged his half-gypsy grandchild but showed every sign of actually liking her.

They didn't know the half of it.

For all her questionable heritage, Giuseppe adored his granddaughter, he loved her more than he had ever loved anyone before her who had born the Salvatore name.

So for her, he had tea parties where he wore his medals of honour and smiled as she recounted her life since they had last spoken and he explained his current activities to her, the running of his estate, the interesting people he had met with and the news of Valhalla.

"I met the King" she tells him with a proud smile, "He was at my Aunt's palace"

"The Cousin's Palace" he corrects gently, eyeing Nadia's cup like a hawk as she sips at it daintily.

Six months ago a servant had been foolish enough to pour hot tea into her cup and it had burnt her lip. The stupid man had been fired an hour later, his ears still ringing from the verbal and physical lashing Giuseppe had given him.

"You are aware of course that your Aunt Katerina is engaged to the King" he says, "That she will be Queen one day"

"My aunt will make a pretty queen" she decides and he smiles,

"How could she not with such a lovely niece to set such a good example?"

Yes. Nadia was the most perfect grandchild a man could possibly have.

Perhaps if Damon had sired such a child Giuseppe might yet have two sons instead of one.

And he might have known that at that very moment, in the heart of London in a private garden, Damon Salvatore was getting down on one knee and asking his girlfriend of three years, Bonnie Bennett to marry him.

* * *

A/N- I know there wasn't as much Kalijah as you all wanted but this is a slow moving story with a lot of characters that I maybe might publish as a story later but as per requests, Klaroline will only be a background ship.


	8. Chapter 8- Katherine

A/N- Here we go, thank you all for reading/reviewing. If anyone is interested in making me covers for this story let me know, if anyone is interested in the pictures, from this story head on over to my tumblr page klaro-addict.  
Also I've been nominated in the Klaroline Awards so thank-you to everyone who voted for me!

* * *

_Valhalla's Fairy-Tale Romance  
Prince Elijah's True-Love and Future Queen. _

_The Most Honourable Miss Katerina Petrova, daughter of Baron Rose Seng, caught the public's eye on Wednesday night when she attended the national address of Prince and King-to-be Elijah, standing beside the Princes Niklaus and Kol in a very privileged position. _

_We understand why our readers might not have immediately recognised this brunette beauty as she has been out of high society for nearly half a decade but Katerina is the long-time fiancée of our beloved Prince. _

_Born in June 1991, Katerina is the first born daughter of Doctor Alexander Petrova and Miranda Petrova nee Sommers, her sister Elena Salvatore nee Petrova is only a year younger and the two were often mistaken for each other as children, bearing remarkable similarity in looks._

_Katerina had a wonderfully happy childhood in Rose Seng, despite being heiress to a Baronetcy she attended the local primary school with the other children and was active in the community, enjoying as normal an experience as possible as per the wish of her parents. _

_The Petrova family is a remarkably close, tight-knit unit and while Katerina spent her autumn and winter terms at Chateau de Rosey in Switzerland, she attended Rose Seng high school in the spring and summer terms when the entire district is abloom with the roses after which it is named. _

_It was during the spring term holidays in 2007 that the late Queen Esther, who'd long since considered the Petrova's close friends, suggested a betrothal between Katerina and the Prince Kol. The two quickly became good friends, having similar interests and enjoying the party scene around Kattegat however after a year their engagement was dissolved when those close to Katerina and Prince Elijah realized that the two had fallen deeply in love with each other. _

_They first met at Katerina's debutante ball when she was sixteen and he was twenty-one, even though there is a five year age gap between the two, they were immediately enchanted with one another. One source close to the pair recalls that they were unable to keep their eyes off each other the entire evening and pestering their friends for information about one another. _

_From there they continuously found excuses to be in each other's company and as the two families spent more time together, Katerina became affectionately known to the royal siblings as Katty. _

_When it became apparent that the Crown Prince and Lady Petrova felt true love for one another, the late King Mikael formally broke off the engagement between Prince Kol and Katerina and the same night Elijah asked permission of his father to propose to her.  
She remains good, close friends with Prince Kol. _

_As it is no easy task to become Queen in an absolute monarchy, the late Queen Esther took Katerina to Ensamhet Castle for rigorous training, she felt true affection for the Future Queen and Katerina cared for her when she fell sick. _

_Wishing for her future-daughter-in-law to have one last experience of a normal life; Queen Esther requested that Katerina obtain higher education outside of Valhalla so that she could focus on her studies out of the public eye. _

_Attending Whitmore College in Virginia, USA, Katerina was a straight A student who participated in a range of different activities and charities, continuing on with a Master's Degree in International Development. Sources say that during these five years she and Prince Elijah wrote long love letters to each other weekly and sneak away to Dublin, Ireland for romantic getaways. _

_She will be formally reintroduced into public life at the funeral of King Mikael. _

_See Page Six for our profiles on the Royal Siblings. _

* * *

Katherine had read the entire article with a perfectly contoured eyebrow raised.

Of course all articles in gossip magazines had to be taken with a grain of salt but she has to admit, she's impressed by how wonderful they'd made her life sound.

How enchantingly easy.

Perhaps all women- at least once- should have their lives summarised by a Press Secretary and then handed over to a magazine journalist to be embellished with pretty words and glamorous photos.

And on cold, dark lonely nights they could take the article out of the bedside table drawer, read it over and over again, close their eyes and pretend that fantasy and reality were intertwined.

The magazine- _Royalty Monthly Valhalla_ \- had been delivered to her this morning on her silver breakfast tray, brought in by a fresh, young maid clearly on her first day of the job. Katherine had smiled but otherwise been too occupied by the glossy image on the cover.

The glossy image of her.

In a black and silver gown with her hair in a chignon instead of her usual loose curls, with a polite but reserved smile on her face.

She had been attending the opening night of _Antigone_ at the Ensamhet Theatre with Queen Esther, she remembers the night only vaguely; the pinch of her shoes on her little toe, the brush of her earrings through the holes, the itch of her mascaraed eyelashes.

_Meet Valhalla's Future Queen- _the banner scrolled across the skirt of her gown with headings on the side speculating about how Elijah would adjust to his role as King, Mikael's funeral, the Coronation and already they were discussing her wedding as if anything had been organised.

Her nerves had got the best of her so she'd left the magazine sitting on her tray as she'd showered and dressed for the day before sitting back down on her bed to read it.

After her second perusal of the article she turns back to the front cover, the image was five years old but at least it had been taken _after_ her engagement to Elijah.

Following their meeting two days ago, Katherine had half-expected Press Secretary Rose to find the least flattering pictures of her during her period of betrothal to Kol imaginable.

She was glad that she hadn't, otherwise the poor woman would have found herself dragged into the murky world of intrigue, ambition and treachery that was daily life in the Royal Court.

Something that the newest additions to the Palace staff wouldn't understand but despite all attempts to modernise, those that lived in proximity to the Royal family and relied on their favour were as devious now as they had been for the last nine hundred plus years.

They had to be.

Otherwise, without the gossiping, slander, backstabbing and social climbing, the nobility would come to the realization that they were the last remnants of a bygone age.

Ghosts lingering on in a world that was slowly forgetting the traditions they held so dear.

A high laugh breaks her concentration and her head turns to the gilded door.

It reminds her that while she is sequestered in her bedroom, her State Room is slowly filling up with aristocracy. The younger generation of nobility, the rich and privileged who saw life as a fun game for them to play.

Katherine's 'friends'.

Those who had looked down on the lesser ranked courtiers and those who were wealthy but untitled. Those very same people who'd turned up their noses at the Petrova's for being so new to their station and called them gypsies to their faces, either not understanding that it was a racial slur or simply uncaring. Of course the second they'd discovered that Katerina was to become a Princess they'd opened their doors to her and when they'd found out that she was to become Queen, well…

They loved her, simply adored her and never had a bad word to say about her.

In public at least.

Still, there were some among them who she had truly liked and thinking of them now, she tosses her copy of the magazine on the bed and slips on her engagement ring, striding through to her interior apartment she checks her reflection in the old mirror before opening the door to her State Room.

They're on her in an instant. Crowding around her, pulling her into brief hugs and air kisses, pretending to be dispensing with etiquette and precedence when in reality keeping a sharp eye on the situation to ensure that nobody steps out of place.

"Kat, oh my _god_, it is so _good_ to see you _again_!"

"Katerina darling, you look _gorgeous_!"

"You have to tell me _everything_ about your time in America!"

Katherine smiles and plays the pleasant witty socialite until she sees an actual friend standing by the window waiting for her.

Isobel Fleming.

They'd become friends during high school and Katherine found herself genuinely smiling as she joins her, "It's good to see you" she tells her truthfully,

"Yeah" Isobel agrees, "It's been a while"

Katherine isn't entirely sure how she's going to explain away her five year absence yet, thankfully she doesn't have to. Elijah chooses that exact moment to arrive and as much as her circle enjoys fawning over the Future Queen, King trumps Queen to be.

Elijah has a smile on his face, he greets those the approach him by name and utters small pleasantries but at the same time he's making a direct line to her and she knows that any obstruction in his path will irritate him.

As a rule, Elijah didn't let people in and while he understood the necessity of the courtiers, he was more likely to be on better speaking terms with his attendants than with anyone titled.

Not that that had stopped many people from trying but the future King had an eye for falsity and little patience for it.

Isobel steps back with a soft sigh as Elijah reaches Katherine and she's smiling as she steps into his arms, his hands cupping her shoulders as he kisses her cheek, their faces turning towards each other and their lips almost touching before remembering that they're being watched,

"Good morning" he said, reaching down and rubbing his thumb across her engagement ring,

"Ready?"

She nods, "Of course"

He takes her hand, their fingers linked and they stride from the room, down the stairs to the Front Hall where the staff immediately get to their feet, uttering 'Good Morning Your Majesty' as they pass.

His thumb runs across her engagement ring again as they reach the doors,

"I can call for a car if you'd like?" he offers gallantly and she smirks,

"It's not even a kilometre across the square and how would that look?"

"I can take a bit of backlash on expenditure if…"

She reaches up to kiss him before realising that she can't unbalance herself in her boots, she grips his shoulder and when he ducks his head she presses their lips together and teasingly gives him a hint of tongue, "I'll be fine"

"Besides" she adds, "I look amazing"

"You always look amazing" he points out, but he follows her when she tugs on his hand and they walk out the doors. The gates being opened for them and curious passers-by were already stopping to have a look.

* * *

It was a brisk morning in Kattegat, the sky was an ominous grey with the threat of an afternoon rain. The autumn leaves scattered across the square from a nearby park were the only colour amongst the cobblestones and old buildings.

The Royal Council Chambers were to the south, directly opposite the Cousin's Palace, cornered on an avenue which housed the various Ministries and populated in between with expensive cafes, restaurants, bars and hotels for the government and palace staff.

Katherine fixed the bright, airy smile on her face, keeping her head up and her walk graceful and light. Elijah had the same pleasant, mannerly expression that he always wore in public

People were staring, recognising their King and phones were being whipped out for photos and videos.

It was strange how technology had changed the way the people saw them. The last time Katherine had been out with Elijah, there had been a few cameras and even fewer phones but otherwise, people had watched with their own two eyes, now they looked at them through the lens on their devices, more interested in recording them than actually being there in the moment with them.

She acknowledges the one or two who don't have their phones up in front of their face, she gives a brilliant smile to a pair of obviously jetlagged tourists and reminds herself that Caroline Forbes will be arriving tonight.

Caroline Forbes with her genuine smile and enthusiastic hugs.

She blinks and banishes her friend from her mind before she ruins the façade.

Professor Saltzman is waiting for them at the avenue corner, with an overpriced cup of coffee, a newly dry-cleaned suit and an air of nervousness about him.

"Good morning" Elijah grins, holding out his hand and shaking it firmly. The poor professor hovers for a moment, clearly uncertain about protocol and Katherine steps forward before he can embarrass himself by trying to bow.

"Katerina Petrova" she grips his hand to make sure he knows to shake instead of kiss it.

In high society, in the royal circles or at Court men would kiss her hand in greeting and women would curtsey to her but Katherine instinctively knew that wasn't a tradition that should be taken out to the streets when she and Elijah were trying to appear modern and progressive.

"Nice to meet you"

The professor has friendly eyes but Katherine can see the shadows underneath them, poor man likely hadn't slept last night.

He might be an American and probably proud of his republic's form of government but it would still be nerve-wracking to find himself suddenly asked to serve on the Royal Council.

Elijah nods at the coffee in the professor's hands, "You know, I heard there's a twenty percent discount for all Royal staff at these cafés, but my Head of Security isn't allowed loyalty cards anymore, he used them to the point where he actually became a loss for the business"

Saltzman laughed, "Sounds like my kind of man"

He falls into step beside them and Katherine sees Elijah noting his jitteriness and frowning slightly as he tries to figure out how to put him at ease. She strokes his hand with her thumb and beams at the professor, "So, do your students know where you are today?"

Alaric shakes his head, "I…uh…was concerned some of my more, hard core students would declare me a traitor for joining what they perceive to be an…"

He promptly closes his mouth with an audible clack, probably remembering all of a sudden the lese-majesty laws and the fact that the King was right beside her. Katherine shrugs,

"An outdated, exclusive and likely corrupt form of governing?" she finishes for him, "That's why we invited you after all"

"Perhaps your students could attend one of the meetings of the new Council once it's formed?" Elijah offers,

"Or I could attend one of your lectures and speak to them?"

Alaric seems genuinely surprised that he's making an offer to be so readily accessible to his students but Katherine had fallen in love with Elijah precisely because he was so generous towards others, happy to go out of his way or help in any way he could.

The Royal Council Chambers was a grandiose, imposing building, Katherine herself had a touch of nerves as they entered. The Lord Great Chamberlain of the building greeted them at the door in full ceremonial regalia and bowed to Elijah,

"Welcome Your Majesty" he greets in keeping with tradition, "May you rule with Odin's Wisdom and Thor's bravery"

There are a few press members in the designated roped off area in the entrance, taking photos and recording the scene as Elijah nods and waits for the man to be handed the ceremonial sword, a long sword with golden hilt and embedded with rubies. When the Chamberlain holds it up, he turns and leads them up the stairs into the entry-way of the chamber.

"I didn't realise that this was a formal thing" Alaric mutters nervously, as she makes sure they are both two steps behind the King.

"It's not" she whispers back through her smile, "This is casual for the Council, formal would be a lot more…well, the entire court would be in attendance and Elijah would be wearing his crown"

The Council chamber was a lot small than people realised. It wasn't a room set up for a multitude of people but for a select few.

That wasn't to say that it wasn't ornate, with gold filigree on the walls, two hundred year old chairs covered in velvet, a fireplace which was already crackling merrily with new flames and a chandelier that cost more than the average income for a Valhallan citizen.

And the room carried the perpetual smell of cigar smoke and expensive whisky, the very perfume of exclusion.

Katherine has to roll her eyes when they're announced by the page and the Ministers all rise to their feet as slowly as they can without slapping their disrespect in Elijah's face. Every last man is wearing handmade suits, their medallions of service, chains of office and all the finery they could muster without looking ridiculous.

They were trying to appear opposing and powerful in the hopes of intimidating the young King.

Elijah only raised his eyebrows in disapproval,

"Gentlemen," he approached the gold seat at the table, "You will have to forgive me, I didn't realise it was Frippery Friday"

One of the men scowled and settled his angry eyes on Katherine as she led Alaric to the seats against the wall,

"It's okay" she whispered, "They hate you a little but they hate me more"

"No talking in the chamber without the permission of the King" the Minister for Culture- closest to them- snapped, Katherine's head shot up in surprise at the contempt in his tone,

"My Lord" Elijah's voice was light but his tone was sharp, "The future Queen has permission in perpetuity to speak when and where she wishes, in fact, in the event that I am not able to attend Council she will sit here as Regent and speak for the monarchy"

Katherine's eyes went wide with shock and she had to quickly school her features so she didn't portray her emotion to the room.

The men at the table weren't quite so practised as she, they were obviously appalled by Elijah's announcement.

A Queen hadn't sat on the Council as Regent since the First World War and had only done so then because every male of Royal blood had been away fighting.

Queen Esther hadn't even entered the Royal Council Chambers during the entirety of her reign, she hadn't been allowed any political power at all.

"However," Elijah continued, "That is not relevant information for today as I have hereby decided to dissolve the Royal Council formed by the late King Mikael and will be appointing new members prior to my coronation. I thank you all for your generous service and wish you well in your retirement"

The Minister of Culture shot to his feet, "If I may speak Your Majesty?"

Elijah looked as if he'd very much like to deny the man his right but sighs and waves his hand,

"Your Majesty, my fellow ministers and I served for father loyally for over twenty years, we care only for the preservation of the monarchy and the kingdom- as such, we cannot stand idly by when tradition and ceremony are ignored, threats are being made to the foundation of everything we stand for and our way of life and everything we believe in is being cast aside for…"

Katherine smirked when she realised that this speech had obviously been planned without accounting for the risk of her being present and the man falters as Elijah's eyes grow hard and cold,

"Finish that sentence" he dares him, "By all means, you were describing your fear of progression, modernization and racial integration in the monarchy I believe?"

The ministers are all suddenly trying very hard not to look at Katherine as she daintily crosses her ankles and places her hands in her lap, making sure that her engagement ring is visible.

"Your father would not have stood for this" he finishes firmly and sits back down,

"That isn't the discouragement you were hoping for" Elijah comments dryly,

"Gentlemen, I understand that you are firm in your belief in your nobility, your place above the common people and your right to rule both your lands and Valhalla, unfortunately the world is changing and we must change with it. Our citizens have the ability to speak up now and we can no longer ignore what they are saying, as of this moment the crown is protected by the love of the people but we cannot abuse that. We cannot continue to choose our ministers through friendships and personal favours at the expense of suitability and merit. We have to take the opportunity to give our people rights and choices before our own rights and choices are taken from us and we find ourselves in the midst of a bloody revolution and facing down a firing squad"

One of the men scoffs, "This monarchy has stood for thousands of years"

"So did the German, Chinese and Russian monarchies" Elijah points out, "They stood right up until the moment they fell and I have no wish for the Valhallan monarchy to join them"

The ministers are clearly unhappy but Katherine can see that they can't continue their arguments any further.

Every last man had been appointed by the late King because he liked them or they'd bought their positions, they held the title but were largely unqualified to fill the role, most having never bothered to learn and heavy reliant on their staff to keep entire sectors from collapsing; of course this self-awareness hadn't stopped them from collecting rather large annual incomes and giving themselves the occasional bonus.

Katherine makes a mental note to speak to Elijah about putting a cap on ministerial salaries, that way, nobody would go into politics for the money and it would earn him points early into his reign.

"Your Majesty?" the Minister for Finances raised his voice, "What about our offices?"

Elijah nodded, "Your secretaries will be expected to take over the running of the offices until I have appointed replacements, I ask that your resignations and reports regarding your positions and your ministries be sent to me by Monday morning"

One last time, the Minister of Culture stands up to speak,

"The _nobility_ won't stand for this insult" he announces, his head up, staring straight ahead at the frescoes on the wall as if he is the last standing bastion of the graceful Old World.

As if the greater part of the nobility could even name the men holding the ministerial positions or even cared whether any governing was done whatsoever.

"The nobility" Elijah sighs, "The nobility can be as unhappy as they like, bearing in mind that I am the King of an absolute monarchy and able to reward my supporters and punish dissenters as I see fit"

The warning is clear and Elijah nods to the page who opens the door, the men take their cue and file out, some striding out quickly with their heads held high, others lingering and shuffling around papers as they tried to look like capable ministers.

When they were finally alone Alaric let out a long breath, "Well that was intense"

"I hope it hasn't scared you away from politics entirely?" Elijah inquired as Katherine swept over to his side and lay a hand on his shoulder, watching the professor as he scratched the back of his head,

"Not entirely but I'm not exactly sure how I could possibly help" he shrugs, "I don't know anything about running a ministry or office"

"We aren't planning on making you a minister" Katherine answers him, interrupting Elijah, but he falls silent and allows her to speak for him.

"What we- the King- needs is advice on restructuring the current governing system so that the majority speaks for Valhalla instead of the minority"

"I would make you a Royal Advisor and have you head a committee brainstorming ways in which this could be achieved" Elijah continued,

"In such a way of course that I am still King in an absolute monarchy, I will not surrender power for myself or my heirs in that regard"

"You'll create your own responsibilities in the role and we'll trust that you pick academics who are either supportive of the monarchy or whom at the very least aren't planning to make us 'first against the wall'" Katherine finished and Alaric nodded,

"Right, okay, I think I can do that" he checks his watch, "But I have a tutorial in half an hour so…"

"You're dismissed" Elijah says and after a moment of uncertainty, Alaric turns around and lets himself out. Breaking about three rules of protocol but neither Katherine nor Elijah are going to condemn him for that.

* * *

When they're alone Katherine perches herself against the table, a massive sign of disrespect to the Council, King and the historically valuable table but after the display she'd just witnessed from the soon to be ex-Ministers she's not feeling very respectful.

"They won't go any further" Elijah murmurs, shifting in his chair to rest a hand on her knee,

"They might complain about impure blood but the moment we're married they won't dare stand against you"

She looks down at her engagement ring, "It's a long way from the Prince's heart to the Queen's throne" she intones,

"Giuseppe Salvatore said that to Elena and advised her to encourage our union as soon as possible"

Elijah rolled his eyes, "Giuseppe Salvatore quotes should be published somewhere, the man's wit is enviable" he stands up and cups her face in his hands,

"Giuseppe stands with you, Niklaus stands with you, Ansel would kill for you and your father would help him cover up the murder. You will walk beside me at my father's funeral and have a place of honour at my coronation, in a year from now we shall be married and three months after that you will be crowned Queen"

His smile is small but radiant, "You shall be the most powerful Queen in Valhallan history" he promises, lowering his head to kiss her cheek.

She turns her face as he goes to pull away and kiss him on the lips, a slow lingering kiss that has his hands slipping from her jaw to her neck, then down to her shoulders and she waits until he's holding her hips before she stops him,

"Elijah" she whispers, "Who is she?"

* * *

Caroline Forbes smiled apologetically as she narrowly avoided braining a woman as she pulled her carry-on luggage down from the overhead locker.

"Förlåt" she mutters in what she hopes is the correct pronunciation. Valhallan is such a hard language to learn, especially when she's only really had a day or so to try and pick it up.

Three days ago Katherine or _Katerina Petrova_, Honourable Lady something of somewhere, sent her an email offering her the chance of a lifetime.

She would come to Valhalla and be Kath- Katerina's- lady-in-waiting. Not like the ladies-in-waiting of old however, nothing like the women on the Tudors, no, she would be more like a Private Secretary. In fact, now that she thinks about it, she's pretty sure that's what the email said- Private Secretary- she'd get to organise events, work with charities and meet diplomats from around the world.

And more importantly, she'd be given an apartment, a living wage and brilliant experience for a future in event planning and international development.

In fact, it was the last three reasons that really convinced her to pack up her college dorm as quickly as humanly possible, drive like hell back to Mystic Falls and dump it all in her old room before picking up her passport and getting her mom to drive her to Richmond airport.

She'd been halfway through buying her ticket before a breathless attendant came over and told her that she'd already been booked first class all the way.

Caroline had decided that she liked first class very much and the attendants had all been super nice to her and one had even helped her practise her Valhallan when she came around with the dinner.

She made sure to thank them and tip them with the last of the U.S currency in her wallet before struggling to drag her small suitcase off the plane.

She paused on the steps for a moment and stared around at the new country, the first country she'd ever travelled to.

The air smelled different from American air, it was colder and sharper and she shivered before the annoyed woman behind her coughed and she apologised again before clambering down the steps and setting foot on the tarmac.

It was early evening and already a giant full moon was rising out of the sapphire sky, revelling in the noisiness around her, the people in the orange vests, the bright light from the airport and the heavy suitcase at her feet; Caroline tilted her head back and looked up at the stars.

She had the feeling that she was about to have a _wonderful_ adventure.

* * *

First against the wall- I'm not sure if this is purely a British/Australian saying but it means first to face down the firing squad in the event of a revolution/uprising/coup etc.

Förlåt- Sorry in Swedish. The words I use as 'Valhallan' are a mixture of Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and whatever I can pull out of Google Translate/ looks pretty.


	9. Chapter 9- Katherine

A/N- Here we go, hope everyone likes this chapter, or at the very least doesn't hate me for it. I'm basing my Finn on Yusuf Gatewood's performance in The Originals because he was far more interesting than Casper Zafer in The Vampire Diaries.

* * *

"_Who is she?" _

Elijah frowned and he pulled his head back with momentary confusion,

"Who…?" he began but comprehension set in, his face paling and then hardening like stone,

"Not here." He tells her shortly, his hand trailing from her face down her arm to link their fingers together, "Come."

They both fix their royal smiles in place as they leave the Council chambers, descending the stairs carefully as cameras flashed up at them and Katherine treaded carefully on the plush carpeting in her heeled shoes.

By now, spectators were gathered outside, holding up their phones and Katherine released him so that he could pose for two selfies with overexcited young women, sign three autographs and then cite a meeting as an excuse to get away.

She smiles throughout all of this, strikes a conversation with one of the onlookers and pretends not to notice when one of the women tries to pinch her fiancé on the bum.

One of the downsides to Elijah being royal, young and ridiculously handsome was that women were so determined to 'win' him that they completely lost their sense of appropriateness around him. Usually the bodyguards stepped in when they got too handsy but there had been incidents of women going to great lengths to try and seduce the royal men.

Incidents that would have seen them on sex offender's registries in any other circumstance.

Elijah slips his hand back into hers and she tilts her face upward expectantly, giggling when he kisses her on the lips and whispers a sweet nothing in her ear, a subtle way to remind the world that he was spoken for.

Both of them ignore the immediate irony of the situation.

They don't return to the Cousin's Palace but to Kattegat Palace, walking through the golden gates to the salute of the guards and around the side, choosing to walk along the wall instead of through the interior where they would be bothered by courtiers and servants.

The gardens at Kattegat are stunning, divided into four sections that were designed for the four seasons so that one part would always be in bloom.

There was a lake for water sports, a maze, a small forest, a tiny mock village for people to play in and an outdoor theatre. More importantly, there were many different spots where lovers could meet in secret.

There was a grotto in the autumn garden where Katherine had first kissed Elijah, there was a rundown gazebo in the spring garden overrun by lavender where they'd had very heavy make-out sessions and there was a grotto in the summer garden where they'd been hidden from view by a canopy of roses as they'd made love on the soft grass.

They aren't headed to any of those places however. Instead, they take the path to the winter garden, the stones underneath their feet changing colour from sandy yellow to ominous grey to symbolize the season. It was a stark garden with marble statues that depicted the kidnapping of Persephone and Demeter's grief; only flowers that bloomed purple or blue were allowed to grow in its domain. The garden was enclosed by a stone wall and standing there, it was easy to believe that winter was unending and happiness banished from the earth.

There was a stone bench in the very centre where they had sat the day Katherine had left Valhalla, they walk over to it and Elijah places it jacket on the seat for her- just as he had the last time.

They sit there side-by-side in silence for a few seconds before he turns his face to her,

"How did you find out?" he asks quietly and she shrugged,

"I guessed, after all, I was gone for five years and I knew that celibacy wasn't anything we'd agreed upon, not for that length of time. So I knew that there would be someone- someone, singular- because you aren't a one-night stand or multiple girlfriends' kind of guy."

"Not since I met you," He corrects, "Before then, there were a few."

More than a few but that was irrelevant.

"Who is she?" Katherine asked again, and Elijah clicked his jaw in discomfort,

"Does it truly matter?" he queried and she twisted her body to face him,

"You can make me the most powerful queen consort in the world," she began,  
"But that won't mean a thing if there's a woman at Court bragging to everyone about being your whore."

"She wouldn't…" he said before cutting himself off, "She's not part of the Court, or the nobility."

She shifted closer to him, "Elijah," she prompted, "Who is she?"

He sighed, chagrined, "Her name is Gia Mohan, she's a second generation American, her parents migrated from India and I met her in New Dehli during the Holi festival when I was there for trade talks and she was there for a family wedding"

"The festival of love," Katherine noted drily, "It must have been destiny"

"At that time you had been gone for a two and a half years," he argues, "I was taking pills at that point to kill any sexual urges I might have but…I missed being loved more than I missed love-making."

"I have _never_ stopped loving you," Katherine snaps, angry at the suggestion but he nods,

"I knew that, I also knew that to have brought you back to my world or intruded upon yours would have been the greatest cruelty and risk to our relationship. So, I introduced myself to this woman on the street, covered in paint and playing the drums, we went for a walk, we spent the week together and five months later she moved to Hjart. She's a musician who lives in the student district, I only ever go to her apartment at night and take every precaution to prevent discovery and I've had a vasectomy so there won't be any illegitimate children."

Katherine's eyebrows shoot up and she's momentarily distracted from the conversation,

"You got a vasectomy?!" she nearly cries, "_When?_"

He smirks, "A year after you left, Kol found himself accused of impregnating a woman for the fifth time in several months. Now, this is a common occurrence, women trying to trick a prince into marrying them but Mikael was furious about the repetition and your father suggested the operation for Kol, Niklaus and myself and an IUD for Rebekah" he rolls his eyes, "I wish I could tell you that the accusations had stopped but they still come in with alarming regularity, regardless of whether or not we've actually slept with the woman."

"Does she know about me?" she enquires curiously, and is relieved when he nods affirmatively,

"Yes" he swallowed, "I didn't want to lie to her, the truth would have been revealed in any case, she knows that we're engaged."

"Does she know that I'm _it_ for you?" Katherine challenges,

"That I'm the love of your life and there will _never_ be anyone else in my place?"

He frowns, obviously thinking it over and Katherine's nails scratch along the stone bench.

She wouldn't be the first woman who had to fight her way to the throne and eradicate a few enemies in the process but she had assumed that Elijah was the one front that she wouldn't have to wage war on.

"I've never spoken to her about there being any future for the two of us but I can have that conversation with her to ensure that there is no confusion,"

"Do you want me to end the relationship?" he offers quietly and Katherine stands up and crosses her arms, pacing to the edge of the garden while she considers it,

"No," she decides, "She can stay until the wedding."

"Until our wedding night?" he queries, no longer talking about his mistress,

"No" Katherine answers, "I don't know when but…before then."

He stretches his legs out and checks his shoes for scuff marks,

"And you?" he checks, "Was there anyone at Whitmore?"

"Yes" she answers, lifting her head, "Hundreds of someone's, thousands of them"

He grins at her comment, "Will he go to the press?"

She frowns as she thinks about Liam, hot but pretentious Liam, would he stay silent or would he need to be bought off?

"I think we're safe." she says and he stands, checking his watch,

"I'm late for a meeting," he informs her, "Walk with me?"

She smiles and links her arm through his, leaving the unhappy garden with their unhappy memories behind. They stride into the palace and almost immediately Elijah is beset by courtiers and staffers and Katherine bids him farewell with a lingering kiss.

* * *

Her Most Esteemed Royal Highness Princess Rebekah Claire Emma Samara Lothbrook, Duchess of Kattegat, Countess of Felandar and Protector of the Worship of the Goddess Freya- was bored.

Slumped on the two hundred year old couch in her receiving room, she pouted at the top of the line laptop in front of her and sighed at the dullness of her day so far.

She'd woken up late, had breakfast in her chambers and then kicked around on Netflix waiting for something to happen.

Nothing.

She'd checked Facebook and all her friends were posting condolences on her page, five hundred and counting so far, she'd sent a few texts on her phone and then sat back, expecting there to be a knock on her door at any minute.

There wasn't.

No-one came to visit her, not her brothers, not her Press Secretary, not Ansel, not even any courtiers or petitioners to ask her favours.

She was the _Princess_ and she might as well not even be in the Palace.

It hadn't been like this before, when her mother had been alive there'd always been something going on, events for her to attend, activities for them to do, they'd always been entertained and together as a family.

After she had died, Mikael had sent everyone but Elijah away, it had been easier than being a father to them.

She supposed that after the Coronation she'd be sent away again.

Back to Paris, to her luxurious but empty dorm at the vapid boarding school with the irritating sycophants that would never have given a damn about her if she hadn't been a royal princess.

Except that maybe she wouldn't _have_ to go back.

She was seventeen years old now, she was almost an adult and pretty much about to graduate anyway, she could easily finish her studies by correspondence and remain in Hjart.

She was the only princess the family had, and sister to the King, she could be useful in the palace.

She would be needed and once again, have a place where she fit in and belonged.

Excited by her newfound purpose, she bounds off the couch, and is halfway out her door before skidding to a stop to check her appearance in the mirror.

She takes a moment to calm down, lest people see her flushed cheeks and glowing eyes and realise that she was beginning to move past mourning her father.

That would be very inappropriate for a princess.

She manages to keep a sedate pace as she walks through the palace halls, finally encountering the courtiers as she reaches her brother's rooms, clearing her throat so that she is noticed and they step back and curtsy as she sashays past without deigning to look at them.

A liveried servant bows and leads her to the door of Elijah's antechamber, knocking politely and stepping in to announce her while Rebekah puts her hands on her hips and resists the urge to tap her foot.

She's the King's sister for crying out loud, why on earth does she need to be announced?!

She should have permission to enter Elijah's rooms without ceremony whenever she bloody well wished.

"Come in, Bekah."

She jumps in surprise at hearing Nik's voice instead of 'Lijah's but the door is open and she walks in to see all three of her older brothers sitting on the couches with coffee in their hands and a platter of sandwiches on the table,

"Did I miss the invitation for a tea party?" she demands sarcastically, dropping down onto the couch beside Nik before remembering belatedly that she was supposed to wait for Elijah's permission first.

Elijah however, seems distracted, "Not at all little sister," he murmurs, not even looking up from his papers, "We were just discussing politics."

"More to the point," Kol elaborated, taking a long sip of the coffee that Rebekah would bet a pair of diamond earrings was flavoured with Guinness,

"All the politicians that Elijah pissed off today."

Rebekah sat on the edge of her seat and put her hands in her lap between her knees, trying to focus her brain on being as alert as possible,

"What did you do?"

"I dissolved the Royal Council and warned them that I would be making moves to appoint ministers based on merit as opposed to nobility" he looks up with a smirk,

"Nor did I stop there, after my Coronation I am going to be establishing a committee that will be tasked with granting more political rights to the citizens of Valhalla, finding a way for them to have representation and even a say in governing."

Rebekah processed all that information and then frowned, "But…won't that diminish our power? The power of the royal family? Won't that turn us into figureheads like the Windsors?"

"Not all of us," Kol jumped in, "Katty is going to be granted the title of Queen, instead of just Queen consort, and in 'Lijah's absence, Queen Regent"

Rebekah could hear the blood pounding in her ears, and her fingers clenched together,  
"So, the rest of us are going to be turned into useless ninnies but that _upstart_ _gypsy_ is going to be ruling over everyone?!"

Elijah's head shot up at the racial slur, "Romani or traveller is the correct term," he explained coldly, "Otherwise, you could simply refer to her as Katerina. She is to be your sister-in-law after all."

Rebekah slumps back on the couch, blushing with humiliation at being scolded,

"I didn't come here to fight brother," she says by way of apology, "I came to help, after all I am the Royal Princess, there has to be something I can do to help you with your duties."

Elijah smiles and Nik slips his arm around her shoulders, hugging her close to him,

"Father's charities will need to be seen to," he tells her, "Aidan was planning on having me attend the headquarters of each one personally but if you were to go in my stead that would be very helpful."

Rebekah nods eagerly, "I can do that, send him to me today and I can start tomorrow."

Elijah is distracted by his phone buzzing and checks the screen, "I'm afraid he's going to be rather busy, can you check in with his office? They'll have all the information you need…also the Lord Chamberlain's Office apparently wants to start preparations for the wedding so if you want to work on that, the Petrova's will appreciate the effort."

Kol rolls his eyes, "Tea parties and weddings," he shoots to his feet,

"I'm growing ovaries just listening to this, come along Nik, let's go shoot something to re-establish our manhood."

Nik gives him a withering look, "I actually have duties to attend to, much like you do little brother."

Rebekah pulls herself to her feet, "I'll go, now that I have my instructions and everything."

They're both at the door before remembering protocol and turn around to bow and curtsy but Elijah is handing Nik a sheaf of papers and doesn't even notice their hesitation.

So they simply walk out, heading past the courtiers who try to catch their eyes, their followers and hangers on. Rebekah waits until they're at the large sitting room that was one of the main intersections for the royal residences before turning to her brother.

She wants to thank him for pulling her out of that situation before she'd lost her temper with Elijah and said something that would have had her sent back to Paris in a heartbeat but Kol's texting on his phone,

"There's a new dj at my club tonight," he announces, "Want to come along?"

Yes.

Rebekah loved parties.

However, she also wanted to talk about the fact that Elijah had just brought up his impending wedding to the _she-cat_ without a care for the fact that he was marrying Kol's ex-fiancée.

A woman Kol had truly been in love with until she'd been caught sleeping with Elijah behind his back, shattering his heart into a million tiny pieces and revealing to the world the power-hungry, manipulative _bitch_ she really was. Then she had swanned off to the beach with their mother for a bloody holiday disguised as 'training' and never even told anyone Esther was sick until it was too late, until they only had five days left with her.

If that hadn't been bad enough, she'd boarded a plane the same day of the funeral and gone off to America to 'get an education'- as if Valhalla didn't have some of the highest ranking higher education institutions in the world.

She was completely heartless and for all her hoping that her older brother would come to his senses and break off the engagement, Rebekah had seen Katerina standing beside her insipid twin at the announcement and realised that she was still on track for becoming queen.

The thought of having to curtsy to Katerina Petrova made Rebekah's fingers curl.

Still, she's a Princess and has an image to maintain, so she agrees to have Kol pick her up at ten and, with nothing else to do, heads for the Private Secretaries Office, she walks in without looking and nearly collides with someone on the way out.

She opens her mouth to berate the idiot only to find herself pulled into a gentle hug,

"Oh my _darling_ sister," a smooth voice whispers in her ear, "I was just coming to see you!"

Rebekah smiles and returns the embrace, "Hello Freya."

Behind her, she sees Finn and waves happily,

"Hello little sister," he says, "I would hug you but I do not think Freya plans on letting you go."

She laughs and steps back, finding her hands being taken by her two half-siblings,

"Come," Freya looks between the two of them, "Let us lunch together."

Rebekah glances at the office staff and decides that her scheduling can wait for another day, she instead follows Finn and Freya as they lead her out of the office section of the Palace into the public area and then around to the front gates,

"There is an absolute darling restaurant across the square," Freya tells her, "And we'll need a very long meal so that we can catch up on absolutely everything you've done every second since we've been separated."

Rebekah snickers, "The two or three seconds which I didn't tell you about in the emails you mean?"

Rebekah hadn't even been in Paris a month when Freya had emailed her, talking about her and Finn's lives, about how boring Hjart was without their darling little sister and asking about how she was adjusting to her new school. Freya had told her how positively jealous she was that Rebekah got to have a top-notch education in the most beautiful city in the world and how she must spend an afternoon reading on the banks of the Seine, or shopping at Gallery LaFayette, however she must not go to the Moulin Rouge without her and Finn, lest someone get the wrong idea…

In short, in a three thousand word email, Freya had made Rebekah feel so much less homesick and excited about her new life in Paris. After that, every time she had felt lonely, she had typed an email to her sister and grown so close to her half-siblings.

She knew that Elijah, Nik and Kol didn't really like Finn and Freya, calling them everything from boring to pretentious to fake but at least their half-siblings noticed Rebekah and how special and important she truly was.

They enter the restaurant and suddenly, all eyes are upon them, from the diners to the waiters and the maitre d' who comes running over and offers them the best table to be had, in the very centre and goes running to bring them the bottles of champagne Finn orders.

"What do you think of our brother the King's new plans regarding the Royal Council?" he asks her curiously after pleasantries are exchanged and Rebekah makes a face which causes the waiter bringing out the oysters to hesitate uncertainly,

"I don't understand much of it at the moment but I don't like the sound of it," she admits freely,

"It sounds like we're going to end up with the Westminster system and we'll all just be figureheads with no actual power."

"That's what _I_ said," Freya tells her, pride in her voice as she kisses her cheek,

"But Elijah is determined to go ahead with the idea, bringing in the American man the gypsy recommended."

Finn pauses while sipping his champagne and glares at Freya who shrugs, "No-one can hear us and we're with our family," she turns to Rebekah,

"Besides, feel free to tell anyone you like that I don't care for Katerina Petrova or her damn family of political progressives."

Rebekah toys with the oyster in her hand, her silver fork tracing the shell, "So it's Petrova's idea to make all these changes then?"

Finn shrugs and sighs, "We have to assume so, as goodness knows, our brother the King wasn't exactly the champion of modernisation until she returned to Valhalla, now suddenly he believes in everything she does?"

"Well then, someone should say something," Rebekah suggested, "Tell him not to be led but to be his own man."

"We have tried," Freya takes the lunch menus and hands one to her,

"We spoke to him and then Niklaus to try and have him speak on our behalf, however Elijah won't listen to reason, Niklaus cares too much about his new duties to intervene and none of the courtiers will say something because they're too busy dancing attendance on your brother, after all, now that he's King, he'll be the one deciding whether or not they get invited back to Court after the funeral."

Rebekah's shoulders slump and she looks between the two of them,

"There has to be something we can do though?" she asks with a failing sense of hope, "Someone who can speak to him to make him see reason?"

Finn bites his lip and meets Freya's eyes to see her shrug and nod, "I think we can tell her, she might be able to help us find her after all."

Rebekah waved away the waiter approaching with the champagne, "Find whom?"

Finn smirked, "Elijah's mistress of course"

* * *

Katherine knew that future Queens did not pick up their employees from the airport.

They sent a staffer and a car, if that, and waited for said employee to check in at the Palace.

But that doesn't stop her from ordering a driver and warning the security team that she was headed out.

Fortunately the press don't have any time to pick up on her location and when she steps into the international airport, very few people realise who she is until she's standing in the arrivals section, looking up at the board to double check that Caroline's flight had landed.

Half an hour ago, which allowing for the time it took to disembark and collect her baggage, plus the ten minutes for Caroline to sweet talk her way through security, she would be coming out those doors any minute.

Aware that the people around her are watching her and pointing her out to their friends and family, she steps right up to the partition and maintains the composure she was taught by Esther. The art of not seeing those around her.

She fixes a polite smile on her face as people trickle through the doors which breaks into a wide beam as Caroline emerges in deep conversation with a fellow tourist.

She lifts her hand to wave and call out before remembering herself but her friend spots her and squeals with excitement, hurrying over to the partition and reaching across to pull her into a hug.

"_Seriously?!_ This is amazing!" she gasps, kissing her cheek as she stands back and grabs her suitcase,

"You look great!"

Katherine looks down at her own outfit, "You look perfect as always"

Caroline Forbes could walk through Hell and come out the other side still looking adorable and today is no exception. She was wearing one of her typical floral dresses but had slipped on leggings, a faux leather jacket with a grey scarf and an adorable crimson beret.

Of course, the key to her beauty was the happiness and excitement in her bright aqua eyes, the light inside her that had drawn everyone including Katherine to her.

"So, do I have to curtsy to you or something?" she asks as she starts walking along the partition to the gap, carrying on the conversation as Katherine had to walk alongside her, as much as possible with people in the way.

"No, we'll cover that later" she promises as they finally manage to get Caroline out,

"Come on, I have a car waiting unless you want to lay waste to the duty free section?"

Caroline shakes her head, "Nope, but don't think I don't know about the shopping centres in town, we're going to go to every last one of those!"

Wouldn't that be a security nightmare? However, it could also be a PR dream- the future Queen, shopping like a regular citizen, supporting the local economy.

The drive was short, and Caroline spent the entire time looking out the window, trying to see everything that Hjart had to offer while Katherine enjoyed seeing her capital city through new eyes.

"So…" Caroline asked as they pulled into the Cousin's Palace and Katherine had them dropped off at the front doors,

"When do I start? Where is my apartment building? Is there an instruction manual and will I have time for language classes?"

Everyone stood and nodded respectfully as the two of them walked through the Entrance Hall and Katherine saw Caroline blushing at the attention,

"You get used to it," she promises kindly as they climb the stairs, "The trick is not to become blind, you still have to see the people and respond"

She leads her down the west wing, to the room just before hers, turning back to face Caroline with her hand behind her back on the knob,

"As for the apartment I promised?" she grinned, pushing open the door and stepping inside,

"_This_ was what I had in mind."

They walked into the yellow sitting room that Katherine had had prepared earlier that day and Caroline stopped dead in the middle of the room and squealed,

"_Seriously_?! This is _mine_?!"

Katherine nodded, "As my Private Secretary I need you on hand at all times," she jerks her head, "I'm three doors down."

Caroline hurries to the largest door on the right and tentatively pushes it open to find her bedroom,

"Oh my God!" she screams, launching herself across the room onto the bed, "This is _amazing_, everything is so beautiful"

"Good," Katherine followed her in, perching on the edge of the bed,

"I'm glad, now focus on this happy feeling, because your bathroom hasn't been updated since the early twentieth century"

"I get my own bathroom?!"

Katherine laughs and points to the barely visible door beside the wardrobe, covered in wallpaper with a subtle handle, Caroline bounds over and pushes it open, squealing with delight at the quaint bathroom, taking photos with her phone and gushing over how cute it is.

"Why is there a velvet couch in there?" she asks when she emerges, adorably confused and Katherine shrugs,

"Sheer decadence?"

Caroline giggles and walks back over to the bed, falling onto the cover with a yawn and stretching,

"Thanks for the first class ticket by the way," she says, "I've never travelled so well in my life!"

"Thank-you for dropping everything for me at a moment's notice." Katherine replied,

"It means a lot to know I can count on you."

Caroline's smile faltered and she sat up suddenly, "Speaking of…" she pauses and looks around,

"Are there any listening devices or whatnot here?"

Katherine shook her head mirthfully, "No, security sweeps the place once a week."

"Okay" she sighs relieved, "Good, because my boyfriend Liam came by as I was packing my bags…"

She stopped to make sure that Katherine could follow the coded message and she nodded,

"How is he?"

"He is in a really happy place at the moment, he's not saying anything but he is planning on applying for med school soon and maybe looking for an internship?"

_Oh_.

Katherine leaned back on her hands and considered this information. Liam's silence would be bought by admission to med school and an internship.

Of course, both would have to be prestigious institutions to completely buy his silence. What were her options here?

Her father could bring him to Kattegat University and easily grant him a placement at the Royal Hospital, but if he did, Liam would probably want to come to Court as well, or at least enter high society. So Valhalla was out, maybe Paris or…it would have to be England or Sweden. She would ask him tonight and trust him to get it done without further questions; especially if she phrased it as a friend wanting a leg up.

"Good for him," she declares and Caroline beams with relief before yawning again,

"Uh oh," she laughs, "Somebody needs a pick me up."

She stands up and holds out her hand, "Fortunately for you, we have caffeine stashes all over the palaces."

They step into the hall and walk along to the end, to the sitting area just outside her rooms where traditionally, petitioners would wait when there was an overflow, she directs Caroline to the three thousand dollar coffee machine that Ansel had bought nearly one hundred of from Jura, choosing it because he declared it idiot proof, with a simple one-touch option. She feels a buzz in her back pocket and takes her phone out to find a message from Elijah,

_Elijah- The irony does not escape me, but the Lord Chamberlain wants to discuss our wedding plans, the Press Office probably wants to start leaking details after the Coronation. _

She smirks and types the reply,

_Katerina- Send him this evening, I've been planning since our third kiss. _

_Elijah- You waited much longer than I did._

She snickers and looks up to see Caroline approaching, her hands clasped around the glass mug, her smile gone and her face slightly pale,

"Is the jetlag hitting you that hard?" she asks concerned but her friend shakes her head,

"There was a man who helped me with the machine…everything was in Valhallan, but…he was packing heat!"

Packing heat?

For a moment Katherine thinks that Caroline is pale over how hot the man was before the phrase translates in her mind.

"You mean he was carrying a gun?" she clarifies and her friend nods, "It was concealed in his jacket but it was there."

"Tell me what he looked like." Katherine demands, her eyes flickering to the emergency button behind the chaise lounge. There was one in every room in the palaces, designed to set off a silent alarm that alerted not only palace security but also the federal police force and the military.

"He was middle aged and medium height," Caroline begins, a true cop's daughter, she had instant recall in situations like this,

"Dark brown hair, light blue eyes, lined face, aquiline nose, hasn't shaved today and wearing a grey suit with a blue, white and gold tie with a grey shield on the bottom."

Katherine sighs with relief and smiles, leading the way to the coffee machine where, sure enough, Ansel was glaring at it like it had personally insulted him.

She calls his name and he turns to her with a smart tap of his polished shoes but clear exhaustion in his eyes,

"Caroline, this is Ansel," she introduces the two of them, "As Head of Royal Security he's one of the few people allowed to carry a weapon in the palace. Ansel" she gestures to Caroline, "This is my private secretary and best friend, Caroline"

Ansel takes Caroline's hand and shakes it firmly, his other hand holding the glass to his mouth as he gulps down the triple espresso,

"Nice to meet you." He says in perfect English.

Caroline blushes with embarrassment, "I'm so sorry, I saw you were carrying and knowing that gun control is really strict here I thought something was wrong."

He shakes his head, "You have a good eye child, for future reference, for the last five hundred years only palace security are allowed to carry arms in the royal residence. Anyone else either finds themselves shot on sight or facing down a very lengthy prison sentence."

Caroline nod, filing away this information and Katherine jerks her head to the door, "My rooms are through there, go have a look around."

Her friend shows slight confusion over the dismissal but heads off anyway, her gasps of admiration almost as audible as the sounds of her phone camera.

"She's savvy." Ansel comments, reverting back to Valhallan as he makes himself another coffee.

"She's deeply intelligent," Katherine tells him, "Deeply empathetic, bright, creative, well-organised and completely and utterly loyal to her friends."

"And how much do you love her?" he asks, sipping his coffee in a display of nonchalance.

Katherine gives him a sad smile, "Almost enough to let her know the real me."

* * *

A/N- Everything I include in these chapters is relevant. But I will include some Kalijah flashback sweetness next chapter I promise.

A/NN- For those concerned that I've sterilized the entire family, vasectomies are reversible and men are still able to conceive afterwards. Also, this story is fiction, so if I decide there will be no complications, then there won't be.


	10. Chapter 10- Katherine

A/N- Here we go everyone, a nice, very long chapter beginning with a happy flashback. Also I'm participating in NaNoWriMo under the name At the other end of the world. I'm rewriting Alpha Female for general audiences but if anyone else is participating on here, pm me or buddy up with me on the site.

* * *

_Flashback_

_It is a month after their impromptu introduction when they see each other again. _

_His mother had decided to host a Spring Garden Gala and, with Mikael refusing to attend such 'frivolous fairs', Elijah had been in the receiving line, shaking hands and murmuring pleasantries when he had spotted the familiar face. _

_Twice. _

_A quick glance has him almost certain that the one closest to him is the Lady Katerina, with her curled hair and charming smile. _

_Also the way the faintest blush comes to her cheeks when he takes her hand and she curtseys__ to him,_

"_Your highness," she murmurs through upturned lips, "So lovely to see you again." _

"_Yes," he finds himself agreeing, "And I even managed to put on a shirt for the occasion." _

_She giggles and then glances cautiously over her shoulder to where the Queen is in conversation with her parents and younger sister, before turning back to him and stepping slightly closer, _

"_You should know that I haven't told anyone about that," she swears, speaking quickly in a low voice,_

"_And I won't, I swear."_

_He blinks in surprise and his grip on her hand slackens, _

_"Thank-you." He murmurs earnestly but she's already moving away, into the gala proper in a sweep of her pastel pink gown. _

_In spite of his duties to his mother, he finds his mind wandering that afternoon, replaying their first meeting over and over, interrupted only by intercuts of their conversation. _

_She had sworn to protect his dignity. _

_She could have bragged to everyone that she had seen the Crown Prince half-naked. She wouldn't have been the first to have lauded such an event with pride, at the very least she would have at least been telling the truth, unlike quite a few who made the same claim. When Elijah was fifteen he had been in love with a classmate to whom he had lost his virginity, a year later she had sold the story to the tabloids and once he had graduated high school, returned to the Royal Court and allowed greater freedoms, well…it had seemed that every week some new woman would be claiming to be his one night stand or his girlfriend. Women he'd barely smiled at or he'd never even met, women who went public and described their fictitious encounter with such sordid eroticism that he felt violated. Women who damaged any chance he had of any healthy relationship. _

_Yet, this young woman, barely more than a girl, would not say a word. _

_He decides- rather uncharitably- that she must simply be unaware of the opportunity before her, she is rather young after all, fifteen if he remembers correctly, and sets his mind on speaking to her further. _

_It is another hour before he manages to get away, his mother had invited every eligible high-ranking woman in the Court and every last one of them want their chance to woo the Crown Prince. _

_Lady Katerina herself had snuck away from the party, he finds her sitting on the edge of the small fountain in the shadow of the hedge maze, her fingers dangling in the water, teasing the goldfish. _

"_Careful," he warns as he approaches, "Legend has it that my great-grandfather put flesh-eating eels in all the fountains and that we never able to clear them all out."_

_Lady Katerina's head shoots up in surprise and she laughs, she has an infectious laugh that makes him want to join in as well. _

_But what kind of man laughs at his own jokes? _

_He stuffs his hands into his pockets and stands before her, rocking back on his heels awkwardly, not entirely sure how to begin the conversation, _

"_I did want to thank you," he says suddenly, cursing inwardly at the idiotic way he had phrased that, _

_"__For promising not to tell anyone about seeing me undressed, it does mean a lot to me."_

_She blushes at his attention and gratitude, her head dropping down and her curls falling over her shoulders, _

_"It was a private moment," she murmurs demurely, "It would be mean to tell other people about it."_

_The Lady Katerina was mindful of his feelings? Well, she was a rarity indeed. _

"_Are you enjoying the gala?" he asks, politely navigating the conversation back to more appropriate topics but she makes an unhappy face, _

_"No," she says forcefully, "Not in the slightest."_

_He is surprised and frowns, moving forward without even realising and resting his foot beside her on the fountain edge, "Might I ask why?" _

_She shrugs, betraying her youth, "I'm only the granddaughter of a baron, and Roma at that. Most of the people here my age refuse to talk to me when their parents are around, so I came out here…" she looks around with a shrug, "I've always wondered if I could make it through this maze." _

_Elijah doesn't want to return to the gala either, for entirely different reasons but he checks his watch and then steps back with a smile, _

_"Perhaps I could come with you?" he offers, "Give you a few hints in case you get lost."_

_She perks up, obviously surprised but after a moment nods eagerly, "But only if I get lost."_

_They slip into the world of towering hedge and near silence, grass underneath their feet- having been planted by a truly sadistic gardener to make it harder for people to find their way back. He clasps his hands behind him and watches Katerina. She is glowing with excitement and curiosity, eager to see what was around each corner. Her eyes noting little differences to be used as markers. _

_He smiles as she skips ahead and waits impatiently at the next fork for him, her shoe tapping ever so slightly as she brims with energy. He almost slows his steps to see if her excitement will cause her to forget herself further but instead he keeps his pace so as not to prolong her suffering. She looks at the two paths before them before choosing the right one and rushing down it, smiling in triumph when she sees the small statue of cupid hidden in the hedge. _

"_Are you running away from me?" he jests as she once again skips away and turns gracefully on her heel, her dress flying around her knees,  
_

_"Well…" she teases out the word, "I wasn't going to, but if you insist."_

_She giggles and begins running, disappearing around a corner and for a moment he is struck by uncertainty, knowing what she expects of him but weighed down by the duties of his station. _

_His steps are slow at first, hesitant, as if his body is aware of his transgression and afraid of the consequence but his natural athleticism takes over and he is moving easily, catching up to her quickly as she laughs with delight and tries to trick him by feinting left and then scampering down the right path, emerging through one of the exits into the enclosed paths leading to the small pond. In that moment, all he is thinking about is the smell of the lavender growing along the wooden trellises, the sensation of his shoes hitting the ground and the girl in the pink dress before him, darting just out of his reach. Elijah deliberately lets her outrun him and she seems to realise this, _

"_You're supposed to catch me." She points out laughingly as they leave the path, _

"_The game will be over then." _

_And he doesn't want it to end. He is a twenty-year old man playing chase with a fifteen-year-old girl but he is having fun. He is enjoying the moment where the only thing that matters is that the day is warm and they can simply be. _

_Katerina slows to a stop and breathes deeply, he stands a little way from her and they glance at each other before looking away, each with a smile. _

"_Thank-you for distracting me." she says as she sinks onto the bench beside the pond, arranging her dress and he walks around to sit beside her, _

"_Well…you didn't seem at all happy, and it was the least I could do," he replies before smirking, _

"_You're far too young to be so unhappy."_

_She faces him with all the outraged dignity of a young woman, _

_"I'll have you know that I'm almost sixteen," she glares without malice,  
_

_"Some of the greatest minds to have ever existed were utterly miserable at my age." _

_He chuckles, "Oh forgive me, in my decrepitude of twenty, almost twenty-one, I forgot how mature sixteen truly is." _

_She sniffs and turns away, clearly fighting a smile as her shoulders shake with amusement, _

"_And is there any wisdom or advice that your grand twenty years can bestow on me?" _

_He shrugs carelessly, "Focus on your studies, treasure your friends, pursue your interests and don't let some stupid, archaic prejudices make you feel unwelcome at Court."_

_She accepts his cliché counsel with a smirk but moments later, tilts her head curiously, _

"_And love?" she asks, "What would you say about that?" _

_He grimaces, a shadow falling over his face and his happiness, "I do not believe in love."_

"_Now that is too sad to accept," she turns her body to face him, "Life is too cruel, if we cease to believe in love than why would we want to live?" _

_He can offer a dozen, maybe even one hundred arguments against that simplistic statement, he could point out how, at its core, attraction was a chemical reaction in the brain and that hearts did not actually feel or hold any emotion, they were organs designed to keep the body alive. _

_But he suspects that she knows all this, after all, she was ranked first in her class, clearly she is intelligent; and still she chooses to believe in love. _

_So who is he to try and ruin that for her? _

"_Perhaps you're right," he says, "Shall we agree to disagree?" _

_She shakes her head, "No, not until you accept that love is real and that anyone is capable of finding it." _

_He stands and she rises quickly to her feet, keeping her eyes on him the entire time and he regards her with the slightest crease in his brow, _

_"Why does it matter to you whether I believe in love or not?"_

_She exhales and her shoulders drop while she considers that question, _

_"Because the thought of you unhappy makes me sad," She decides, before looking past him towards the Palace, _

_"I think the music's stopped, should we go back?" _

_They should. _

_But he doesn't want to. _

"_Allow me to escort you," he holds out his arm, "Let's see anyone willing to snub a friend of the Crown Prince." _

_She slips her hand in his arm with a tentative smile, "Am I your friend?" _

"_I hope so." He answers truthfully and her smile brightens, _

"_Me too." She says as they make their way back to the gala. _

* * *

Elijah lays in his bed and ignores the clock striking the half hour.

His phone is buzzing, his alarm set for seven am every morning and every five minutes afterwards until he turns it off.

If it vibrates any longer it will likely fall off the stand to the floor and maybe crack the screen.

Yet he can't bring himself to get up and answer its call.

He can't bring himself to do anything but stare at the canopied ceiling of his bed.

Today was the day of his father's funeral.

King Mikael's funeral.

Today was the day that his bedroom- the King's bedroom- would be officially cleared of the last of his belongings and tomorrow, the servants would begin preparing the room for the next king.

Him.

One morning soon, he would wake up in his rooms for the last time and hours later would go to sleep in the King's chambers.

He would have to sleep in the bed of his ancestors, all the Kings and Queens before him and hope that their ghosts didn't wake him up at night.

How could he _possibly_ manage that?

He's distracted from his musings by a gentle rap at the door,

"Your Majesty?"

He pulls himself up into a sitting position, "Enter."

His page comes in and bows, "Good morning, Your Majesty."

"Is it?" he asks, harsher than he had intended and the poor man pales, clearly worried that in one sentence he's risked his entire career, but Elijah waves his hand and pushes back the covers,

"I'll be ready in half an hour, tell my siblings to come to my rooms for breakfast."

* * *

Four pale, tired faces met his as he stepped into his dining room, all of them dressed in their black funeral attire which didn't complement any of them in any way.

Elijah opens his mouth to greet them but realises that he doesn't know what to say and how to sound like he means it, so instead, he looks to the food on the table,

"Eat well, all of you," he instructs, "It'll be several hours before we have the chance to eat again."

They settle around the table, Niklaus taking a seat beside him, "Will Katerina be joining us?"

He shakes his head, "She'll join us just before we leave but is breakfasting at the Cousin's Palace with her family."

Rebekah made a delicate noise in her throat, "They're all probably too busy dancing for joy to be focused on food."

Annoyed at that remark, Elijah puts his cutlery down with a clatter,

"Rebekah, my fiancée and her family would not be so crass as to outwardly celebrate the death of the King, no matter what they stand to gain from it, please refrain from slandering their nature in such a manner."

He doesn't argue that the Petrova's would be mourning Mikael's death because he doesn't see the need to blatantly lie to his sister's face. Thankfully she decides to jump topics,

"Why haven't you issued Finn and Freya's invitations to your Court yet?" she asks,

"They're our _family_ and should be with us during this time."

Elijah looks down at his breakfast, the eggs, salmon, croissants and cold meats. All delicious and all filling but now his appetite is quickly fleeing under Rebekah's attitude.

"Sister," he sighed, "I have not issued invitations to our half-siblings because I have not issued invitations to anyone yet. The Court will be closed after the funeral for a month, as per tradition and I will issue invitations after I am crowned. I haven't even thought about the list yet so if you would be so kind to wait until after the King's funeral, I would be most grateful."

"Our father you mean." Rebekah retorted quietly into her cup of tea and Elijah momentarily contemplates having her locked in her rooms for the day.

"It looks like it's going to be a beautiful day," Niklaus interrupted quickly and loudly,

"Cold but clear, no chance of rain which will be good for the people on the streets."

The rest of them, grasping this opportunity with both hands, launch into a lengthy discussion about the weather for the day and the chances of the upcoming winter being colder than usual.

Elijah contemplates his sister's sudden devotion to their irritating half-siblings but brushes it off, deciding that she was likely just still emotional over the loss of their father and clinging to the memory of him in Finn and Freya.

* * *

Katherine stood at the window of her antechamber and watched the square below.

Already it was filled with citizens and journalists who were beginning their coverage of the funeral, their cameras pointed at the Royal Palace. At the behest of the Press team, large screens were being set up in every major square in the city showing the interior of the Royal Temple, so that the people and indeed the world at large could witness the ceremony.

"Have you eaten yet?"

She turns around to see her mother having entered without knocking and feels a surge of irritation at the intrusion but lets it go and shakes her head,

"I'm not hungry."

Miranda sighs, "That is not what I asked, it's a long day Katerina and the eyes of the world will be on you, do you want them to see you pale or faint from hunger and judging you for not looking perfect?"

"Perhaps they'll think I'm grief stricken?" she challenges but her mother ignores her and summons a page standing in the state room,

"Please send to the kitchens for Katerina's breakfast," she orders as if she's anything more than a guest in the Palace,

"And tell the hairdresser to come in now."

The hairdresser.

It had been decided that, while having a full make-up team come to prepare her for the funeral would be gauche and offensive, a hairdresser was an absolute must.

Miranda had also chosen Katherine's outfit for the day and she wants to suggest that her mother should perhaps just go in her place, stand beside the King as her proxy, if she couldn't be trusted to do it herself.

As if, in spite of everything, she hadn't already got them to this point.

Caroline comes in just as Katherine stands back from the mirror, her hair freshly done and her curls shining, she is wearing one of the many black dresses that had been sent over by various fashion houses yesterday for Katherine and which she had gifted to her. Her hand is running nervously over her neck and Katherine notices a familiar white pearl choker.

"Ummm….Elena gave me this to wear," she holds the pearls from her neck uncertainly,

"Is that okay?"

Miranda has been watching the hairdresser like a hawk, standing over Katherine's shoulder like a spectre in the blue bathroom as she sat before the mirror, nibbling on the food self-consciously. She looks around now with a false smile,

"You look stunning my dear, and pearls suit your neck so well."

Katherine remembers Stefan gifted Elena the choker in New York and figures that it wasn't Salvatore heirloom jewellery so Giuseppe wouldn't suffer a fit over the casual sharing of his daughter-in-law's possessions with a personal assistant.

"You look great," she tells her friend earnestly, "And you'll be fine."

Caroline exhales carefully and checks the phone in her hand, "So…I looked up the ceremony but I'm not sure about where I'm supposed to be standing."

"With me and my family," Katherine decides and shoots her mother a pointed glare, warning her to stay silent,

"You're my friend and traditionally speaking would stand with me anyway."

Miranda checks her watch and delicately clears her throat, "It's time for us to head over dear," she lays a gentle hand on Caroline's arm,

"Come along, Katerina will be joining us later after she's seen the King."

Katherine rolls her eyes, scoffing at her mother's determination to brag even in Katherine's own rooms to her own personal assistant.

However, her mother is right and it is time for them to leave.

* * *

The mood in the Palace could best be described as feigned sombreness, courtiers were lingering in the public areas, all of them dressed in the latest fashions, their clothes black but designer and the jewels they were wearing were discreet by their standards but still small fortunes. They were talking in low voices but their eyes were jealously noting every inch of one another and when Katherine made her way towards Elijah's rooms she could hear them gossiping over the upcoming Invitation list and their chances of being at the Winter Court.

She moves quickly, too quickly for anyone to stop her and start a conversation in the hopes of catching her attention or winning her favour.

Today, her focus is on her fiancé.

When she approaches the Royal Residences, the page spots her and immediately opens the door and doesn't announce her,

"You have permission to enter without formality," he explains and she's smiling at the thought that Elijah had allowed her this honour as she finds her fiancé standing in the hallway while a gathering of attendants' swarm around him and his family.

Rebekah, the young girl looking immaculate, is tapping away on her phone and, because clearly she's a masochist, Katherine walks over to her and braces herself,

"Good morning." she greets politely, holding her breath as Rebekah's head shoots up, she takes in Katherine's black Givenchy jacket, her Tom Ford black pumps and, as always, her eyes dart to her ring finger, as if hoping that one day the engagement ring will have magically disappeared.

"_What_ are you doing _here_?" she snaps, "This is a private _family_ moment, and I didn't hear you announced!"

Rebekah had never liked Katherine. She had always looked down her nose at the Petrova family as ambitious and greedy, but there had been a time, one golden day when she had been friendly towards her, believing that she would make her brother Kol happy.

And when that had been violently disproven, she had called her a gold-digging whore to her face and sworn eternal enmity.

Katherine understood the reasoning behind Rebekah's hatred but she had hoped that five years might cool it off slightly.

Apparently not.

"Elijah gave me permission to enter without ceremony," she explains, "And he asked me to be here this morning."

Rebekah glares over at Elijah, who was looking down at a tablet while listening to Aiden, he glances up and seeing Katherine, smiles and holds up a finger asking her to wait one moment. With a small thrill of triumph, she turns back to Rebekah, "_See?_"

"You could at least have not come in smiling with glee." Rebekah sniffs before turning on her heel and storming off.

She storms into one of the many receiving rooms and snatches the door from the page, so that she can slam it closed to display her anger and the buzz in the room dies down as the servants all hesitate, on the tips of their toes, assuming that they're about to be dismissed.

Elijah sighs and looks to his brothers expectantly,

"I'll go after her," Kol volunteers, giving her a weary look as he goes past,

"You look beautiful, Katty," he murmurs, kissing her on the cheek in greeting.

She accepts the compliment and waits patiently for Elijah to be freed from his servants, listening with only half an ear to the various reports and instructions before he steps over and wraps his arms about her waist, kissing her on the lips,

"Hello." He whispers and she can see the shadows under his eyes, reaching up to stroke his cheekbones gently,

"Did you sleep at all last night?"

He shakes his head and she draws him further away from everyone else,

"Speak to my father," she suggests quietly, "He can prescribe you something."

He shakes his head again with a rueful smile,

"History is filled with the crimes of Kings committed when they were mad with drink or drugs. Besides, I would rather not have the world looking down on me for being weak and judging my ability to rule."

She wants to assure him that her father would readily supply him with whatever he needed and would never write the prescription down anywhere, but Elijah's expression is firm and somewhere in the castle a clock begins tolling the half hour, so she knows that they're running behind.

She steps back with a smile and takes his hand, squeezing it comfortingly before bringing it to her lips and pressing a kiss against the knuckles.

"Lead the way, Your Majesty."

He winces at the title but checks over his shoulder to make sure everyone is ready, waiting until Niklaus and Henrik are behind him before he begins moving.

* * *

The moment he steps outside the Royal Residences, courtiers appear almost out of nowhere, smart enough not to greet the King in a cheerful, attention catching manner but waiting breathlessly as they passed until the right moment for them to jump in line.

There were three types of courtiers. Those that were already at the Royal Temple, milling about inside socialising and knowing that they were being seen on camera and by the crowds as the elite who could attend the funeral. Those that were going to scurry along behind the King, the Crown Prince and Prince Henrik, and pretend that they were part of the special group considered to be their friends and finally, those who were typically over the age of fifty and considered such acts beneath their dignity.

As far as Katherine was aware, that final group consisted of one man, Giuseppe Salvatore.

Who had arrived at the Royal Temple an hour ago with Nadia in tow, dressed in black couture as per the Count's instructions and having received a lecture on the proprieties of funeral attendance.

Elena had been worried about Nadia attending her first ever funeral, and one being watched by millions of people. Miranda had only shrugged and decided that a royal funeral was good luck in this case, it suggested a life of prestige ahead of her.

Stefan had sworn that at the first sign of distress, he would carry Nadia out of the Temple and take her somewhere cheerful, or at least less psychologically damaging.

She would be one of the first peeresses in history to be raised by parents who were more concerned about her mental health than by showing off and pushing her forward for their own ambitions.

Elijah turns to look back at the courtiers hurriedly falling into line according to precedence and frowns in annoyance, but fortunately none of them meet his eyes, all bowing respectfully and with an irritated sigh he tugs on Katherine's hand,

"Come, my darling," he says for the purpose of being overheard, "I don't want to be late for my father's funeral."

She resists the urge to smirk, if this were any other group of people in the world they might be shamefaced at that pointed comment, but these were courtiers; their very existence depended on their status at court.

Usually, the Royal Family had a habit of stopping in the Entrance Hall of Kattegat Palace, giving themselves a final moment to ensure that everything was in place before stepping out into the public eye, but Elijah just barrelled on ahead, disrupting the pace of the courtiers who'd paused out of habit and the attendants who'd thought they'd have one final chance to double or triple-check everything with him.

He walked right through the ancient wooden doors and down the stone steps into the entrance yard, Katherine, Klaus and Henrik just managing to keep up with him while everyone else fell behind.

The gates were up ahead and Katherine could see that the police were struggling to keep reporters back behind the cordons, forming a human barrier as cameras and phones were held high. The journalists were talking quickly into their microphones now and she heard her name several times but kept her gaze ahead as the gates were opened by the guards and they stepped into the square.

An almost direct path had been made for them by the cordons and she could see the Royal Temple ahead, but unlike the last time she had been in public with Elijah, this time the near silence around them was almost eerie.

No-one was talking audibly and once they were past the reporters; nobody was calling their name.

What was disturbing though were the phones.

Nearly every last person in the first row was holding up a phone, looking down at the screen instead of them, and there were either the clicking of photos being taken or the silence of videos being recorded. A few people had note books in hand and some were obviously hoping for a photo with the King but nobody was going to give autographs or take selfies on the way to a state funeral.

Halfway across the square, Katherine sees a head of brunette hair in the crowd and for a moment thinks Nadia is behind the cordons and panics before her eyes settle on the face beneath the hair and notice that it isn't her.

A little girl is standing near the front with her grandmother and is clutching a bouquet of flowers, with a teddy squashed under her arm and Katherine finds herself touched by the look of determination on her face.

Gently tugging her hand free from Elijah's, she makes her way to the little girl and, with extreme carefulness, and a moment of gratitude that her mother once made her practise this move for a solid three hours, she lowers herself down, balancing on her heels and keeping her knees together without her dress riding up, until she's at eye level with the little girl,

"Hello sweetie," she greets with a pleasant smile, "Would you like me to give those flowers to the King?"

The little girl looks to her grandmother for confirmation before turning back to her,  
"Yes, please," she says firmly, "And the teddy bear too."

Katherine places a hand on her heart, touched by the gesture and takes both and rises to her feet steadily but the blood rushes to her head and spots dance in front of her eyes.

Thankfully, her mother's years of modelling and her own personal experience had taught her what to do in this situation as well.

She thanks the little girl and promises that she will hand both gifts right to Elijah, who has stopped a few feet ahead and is waiting for her, she knows that on any other day he would have catered to the audience and come over to speak to the child and been a perfect gentleman but today, his thoughts are on his father's funeral and she supposes that he could be excused this one time.

_Hopefully_.

Surely even the worst of the gossip rags aren't going to lead with the headline, _'King snubs little girl'_ when he was on the way to King Mikael's funeral?

She guessed they'd find out in the Press briefing tomorrow.

When her vision clears she returns to Elijah's side and hands him the teddy bear and flowers, he takes them with an absent smile towards the girl before switching them to one hand and waiting until they were approaching the Royal Temple before passing them off to Aiden.

The Royal Temple was one of the first buildings erected in Kattegat and over the centuries had only been maintained, never renovated so the original structure was mostly intact.

An imposing structure that had been made from bluestone, with large columns stretching up to the four layered gable rooftop, with doors designed to be barred against enemies. The ceiling was high to accommodate the statues of Thor, Odin and Freya, with a circular hole in the very centre for sunlight, but it only ever touched the altar which left the rest of the room in shadow unless the braziers had been lit, offerings of treasures from around the world and over the centuries hung from walls, the gold and silver gleaming in the firelight.  
The stones kept the temple freezing all year around and the sacrifices of man and more recently of animal had stained the ground surrounding the altar.

Two men at the entrance bang drums to announce the arrival of the King, and when Katherine enters, just as the nobility are stepping into their wooden seats, the strong smell of smoke hits her and it feels so _right_.

Katherine knew that her grandfather and father kept a prie-dieu hidden somewhere at their family home in Rose Seng, and once, she had even heard her father telling his rosary beads, but whenever she had attended Christmas or Easter services at Whitmore or Mystic Falls out of curiosity, it had seemed so strange to her.

Christian Churches were all so clean, they reeked of incense and the carpet underneath them so strange, not to mention the playing of the organs or even more bizarrely the guitar.

Here, as she looked up to see the foot gap between the wall and the roof to let in the tiniest amount of air, and the golden light cast by the fires in the braziers, she sees the statues of the gods carved from blessed trees and the priests and priestesses in their white robes and it's almost like coming home.

She follows Elijah up the aisle, which had been added in the Renaissance era to accommodate the growing number of nobility and to serve precedence over equality in worship and sees her family in the second row on the right, the second highest place of honour after the Duchess Genevieve and her triplets. Katherine took a moment to notice that the triplets, Davina, Monique and Casandra had all had their make-up professionally done for the event and even had their nails manicured.

At least they were dressed well, unlike the Princess Rebekah whose feathery dress was Alexander McQueen but more steampunk than funeral attire.

Speaking of...

She looked around as she remembered that Kol and Rebekah hadn't walked with them, in fact she couldn't see them at all and it was throwing everyone after Niklaus into confusion, Henrik looking around uncertainly as they approach the altar where Mikael's coffin stood.

Katherine avoids looking at the coffin, keeping her eyes on the worn stones underneath her until Elijah stops. She pauses beside him as he stands, staring at the coffin with a look, almost of disbelief, on his face. He swallows and looks to the wooden pew on the left, covered with furs and with two arms inlaid with gold in the middle to make a throne for the king.

Katherine glances to her family and takes a step towards them when Elijah tugs on her hand and nearly unbalances her as she falls back,

"Stay with me," he begs in a shaky voice, "I can't face him alone."

There's an audible gasp as Katherine allows him to lead her along the pew, to the seat beside the throne and when Niklaus settles down beside her she leans over,

"I'm sorry." She murmurs under her breath but he gives the tiniest shake of his head, "It's fine, Katty."

Even though, as the Crown Prince and heir, Niklaus has just been snubbed before the eyes of the world, he is clearly more concerned with the absence of the third and fourth in line to the throne, turning his head to scan the crowd and frowning when he spots her family.

"Who's that?" he asks, jerking his head,

"Caroline," Katherine says, keeping her eyes straight ahead, not needing to look to know whom he is referencing. After all, her entire family had dark hair, Caroline's blonde tresses shone in comparison.

Two figures emerge from the shadows behind the altar and Katherine sees Finn and Freya, with such grief-stricken expressions that her heart would go out to them if she didn't suspect that they were play-acting. The two of them hold each other and weep over Mikael's coffin, laying flowers atop it and she has to remind herself that the eyes of the world were upon her.

So instead of loudly calling them out on their falsity, she finally brings herself to study Mikael's coffin. It was fashioned from white oak and beautifully decorated, low-carved reliefs of Odin's symbols and events of Mikael's reign. She sees Esther's image carved into the side where his chest would be and his children, the legitimate ones, beside her.

Elijah is still squeezing her hand as he looks straight ahead at the coffin but she has to wonder if he can hear the whispers behind them. The whispers of the Court as she is given honour and precedence over the Crown Prince, even though she is not yet queen and the questions of Prince Kol and Princess Rebekah's absence.

_Where were they?_

_What did this mean?_

_Had they been banished from Court?_

_What could they have possibly done?_

Aiden suddenly appears, crouching beside Elijah, his every move tentative and embarrassed,

"Your Majesty, the high priest wants to know if he can start?"

Elijah doesn't answer and Katherine digs her nail into his skin before leaning past him,

"Find Rebekah and Kol," she orders, "Drag them here by their hair if you have to, but we can't start without them."

Because once the ceremony started the doors would be closed and no-one would be allowed to enter.

And as problematic as his relationship with his father had been, Katherine knew that Kol would be devastated if he missed the funeral.

Aiden darts away and Katherine glares at the empty places on Elijah's other side where Kol and Rebekah were supposed to sit. Tradition stated that the Crown Prince sat on the right of the King, to protect him in the event of an attack and the third in-line sat on the left, so that if one heir died the other would hopefully survive.

"Are you alright?" she asks Elijah with concern, already trying to think of ways to subtly call her father over to treat her fiancé for shock without alerting the onlookers, or worse, the media.

"He was my father," he turns towards her automatically, keeping his lips as stiff as possible so that nobody could read them and his voice as low as possible for those straining to eavesdrop on the conversation, "And so many times I wished him _dead_."

She had too.

She had prayed for it.

Contemplated turning to witchcraft or devil worship to see it happen but every time had turned away and hoped that living was more painful for Mikael than death.

Even now, unlike Elijah, she couldn't even bring herself to feel an iota of sympathy or grief for the man.

Her heart was frozen colder than ice and deader than Queen Esther.

Another five minutes which stretch out into eternity as the stares of the entire room burn into the back of Katherine's head, whispers filling the room like the smoke of the braziers and the creaking of people turning in their seats to confer with others about the absence of the Prince and Princess.

Finally, there was a stir from the back along with sighs, either of relief or disappointment- probably the latter, and Katherine had to fight the urge to look over her shoulder as Kol and Rebekah made their way through the temple.

Kol immediately broke away from his sister and took his place beside Elijah, throwing Katherine a surprised look as he did so. Rebekah, on the other hand, walked up to the coffin and threw her arms around Freya; burying her head in her shoulder and clutching to her for dear life.

Katherine wondered which of the two sisters was posing for the camera more.

Elijah held up two fingers and made a beckoning motion and Aiden appeared as if from thin air,

"Your Majesty?"

"Tell the high priest to begin now," he orders in a tight voice, "If those three don't move the ceremony can be performed around them for all I care."

Rebekah's head shoots up at those words and her gaze widens with hurt before it narrows and she links her arm with her half-sister's and whispers in her ear.

She then swans right past the royal seats to the third one on the left where Finn and Freya held their allotted places and one poor courtier was pushed off the pew to make room and forced to stand against the wall, his face red with mortification while the entrance of the high priest was almost lost in the sound of scandalised mutterings and Katherine's lips pursed in anger.

As much as she had hated Mikael, she apparently had more respect for him than his own daughter who had turned his funeral into a farcical show.

* * *

After the funeral, when the late King's coffin was carried from the Temple, Caroline rose with the rest of the Petrova family and studied Elena's every action as they filed from the pew, there didn't seem to be anything particular that she had to do so she allowed herself to relax slightly as everyone started shuffling towards the exit. Her head turned as someone touched her arm and she smiled awkwardly as they spoke to her in rapid-fire Valhallan,

"I'm sorry…" she told them in her shaky grasp of the language, "I don't speak…"

"What's your name?" they asked bluntly in English, with a hint of British accent and she smiled,

"Caroline Forbes," she answered politely, "Please excuse me."

Unable to see the back of Elena's head, she hurries forward and is nearly blinded when she steps outside. The day is hardly blindingly bright but after three hours in the darkness of the temple she's surprised she can see anything at all.

Holding her hand at the level of her eyes, she looks around the crowd of nobles and sees that the coffin has been mounted onto a horse drawn, glass hearse, and everyone is quickly filing into the cars lined up for the funeral procession.

Except she can't see the Petrova's anywhere.

She's just about to wonder whether Katherine will have her phone on or if she could maybe hitch a ride with Ansel the security guy when another hand touches her arm,

"Excuse me." the voice asks,

"Caroline Forbes. American." She answers without even looking, trying to spot Elena or even her husband in the crowd of strangers,

"Nice to meet you," he replies, humour heavy in his tone, "I was going to ask if I could help you."

With a grateful smile she turns around and blinks in surprise.

She'd just been rude to the Crown Prince.

"I am _so sorry_…" she gushed, "I didn't realise you were…well _you_."

She is so rattled she doesn't even give a graceful curtsey, even though she'd been taught how during her training for Miss Mystic Falls. The Prince only gives a quick chuckle, "It's fine really," he puts his hands on her arms, righting her and she blushes as the intensity of his blue eyes hits her,

"Do you need help?" he repeats and she nods eagerly, "Um…I'm meant to be with the Petrova's but I've somehow lost them."

He looks around, scanning the crowd with her, "They're probably already in their car, which is identical to all the other cars."

And there is about forty of them, all lined up in a row, quickly filling up.

Just as Caroline resigns herself to sticking her face into every car and the embarrassment to go along with that, the Prince speaks again,

"Tell you what," he says, "Why don't you ride with me? You can meet up with the Petrova's when we reach the cliff."

She smiles but bites her lip, "Are you sure?"

He nods, "I've plenty of room in the Royce and it'll be rather boring unless I have someone to talk to."

"Okay," she grins, "Let's go."

* * *

A/N- So I lifted the scene right from TVD for the flashback and just moved it forward five hundred years, also Katherine is more innocent in the flashbacks because she's had a good life so that's why she's slightly OOC.


	11. Chapter 11- Elijah

A/N- There is no ryhme or reason to which stories I update and with what frequency, it's just wherever the inspiration flows I'm afraid.

* * *

Katherine watched breathlessly as the flaming arrow shot through the air and landed perfectly in the centre of King Mikael's boat- which had been doused liberally in peppermint oil just in case. The flames caught immediately and the small wooden boat crept along the waves only a few times more before it was lost beneath the ocean.

Beside her, Elijah exhales softly and she reaches over to take his hand again, but he turns to her with the tiniest smile,

"I was worried we'd missed the tide and that the coffin would sink too close to shore," he confesses,

"The last thing we'd need would be my father's corpse washing up on the rocks tomorrow morning."

She shudders at the imagery, "I'm sure there's some protocol for that."

She glances behind them, the entire procession is gathered down on the pebbled beach and now that the body is gone and the ceremony is over, they're starting to check their watches and look longingly at Ensamhet Castle where light refreshments would be served in the gardens before they began the long drive back to Hjart.

The sun was beginning to set and the day had turned freezing, but the procession had been delayed several hours because people along the roads had wanted to touch the late King's hearse and place flowers or mementos upon it. It had taken seven hours to make a three-hour drive from Hjart to the coast and, thankfully, their driver had thought to pack water for the King, which she and Elijah had been forced to sip when they thought nobody was looking, but the nobility who hadn't thought to stock their cars were now weak with hunger and dehydration.

The press beyond the cordons were probably the only thing keeping them upright.

She hears the faintest click and sees Caroline's hand sneaking out of her purse and surreptitiously reaching forward to Klaus who took the tiny white object from her and handed it to Henrik.

"Your heirs are being kept conscious with tic-tacs right now." She points out, biting her tongue to keep herself from smiling at the absurdity of the situation and Elijah rubs his forehead,

"Then perhaps we should eat before the lords and ladies of the realm are forced to fish for their supper."

He offers her his arm and she accepts, tightening her hold on him as they made their way up the pebbled shore, thankful for the ceremony of the occasion that meant that she had to walk sedately, giving her time to test her footing in her heels.

Everyone falls in behind them and she sees Nadia smothering a yawn as she holds onto her grandfather's hand, her tiny little shoes kicking at the stones underneath her feet.

She'd handled the day well.

The garden of Ensamhet castle was accessible through an entrance via the beach, allowing the inhabitants to come and go freely without having to make the trek around. And Katherine is grateful that she won't have to walk through the castle where Queen Esther had spent her last days.

Where Katherine had watched her slowly succumb to death.

The garden is lined with tables, but the food is still being brought out, and there were no lights as the event had been planned for mid-afternoon, not early evening.

However, Katherine enjoys the atmosphere of the gathering, the way the nobles almost forget themselves as they fall on the freshly cooked seafood, or the champagne, how quickly people settle into chairs and around tables as they begin rescheduling their evening. It almost feels relaxed.

Of course, every last person present had just had cameras of all kinds trained on them for the last ten hours, they were probably dizzy with relief that part was finally done.

She bites into a crab cake and nearly moans with delight while the various attendants of the royals quickly loaded up the plates as properly as they were able to within the confines of etiquette and saw to the preservation of the family.

Aiden was almost swaying on his feet as he brought Elijah his food and Ansel appeared a moment later,

"With your permission, Your Majesty," he began quietly, "I'm going to order the attendants to the _kitchens_ for a security debrief."

Katherine smirked around the caviar blini she had just popped into her mouth and Elijah sipped carefully on his champagne, "Tell them that I'm grateful for their service today but they aren't to break into the alcohol until they've eaten."

He turns to her and steps closer, bending to whisper in her ear,

"They probably contemplated violent revolution after their fourth hour without access to Facebook."

She places the back of her hand over her mouth to cover her laughter and turns her face away, seeing Giuseppe and Nadia approach,

"With your permission, Your Majesty," Giuseppe bows stiffly, "We shall retire."

Nadia is looking down at the ground is obvious concentration, about to curtsy but Elijah hands his plate to Katherine and quickly scoops the little girl up, holding her on his hip as she squeals with delight, "Hello sweetheart," he kissed her cheek, "Thank-you for coming today."

Nadia placed her hands on his shoulders, "Thank-you for having me," she responds politely,

"I'm sorry your dad died."

Katherine blinks and turns away from the touching scene, gazing about at the courtiers who were gobbling their food as gracefully as possible, she sees Caroline standing with her sister, Stefan and Klaus, her hands gesticulating as she talks in a lively manner that was considered gauche at Court.

As so many things were.

Without even realising, she's approaching the castle and glances up at the window of the bedroom where she had slept for so many nights.

Something flickers in the corner of her eye and she turns to the right to see someone lifting back the curtains to the royal bedroom.

Someone with greying blonde hair and grief-stricken eyes.

Katherine is frozen to the spot in terror, unable to look away as her gaze becomes locked with hers and a scream is rising up within her before she finds herself forcibly spun around to the side,

"_Look at me_." a voice orders and she tries to focus on him.

"Do you see her?" she asks Ansel, clutching his arm in fright and he looks up to the window,

"Every day," he confesses heavily, "But don't be frightened, she means you no harm."

"_How_ can you say that?" she demands in a shaky voice, "If she's here…"

Ansel curses under his breath and links his arm through hers, about to walk her up the stairs into the palace proper when she shrieks through her closed lips and he drags her into the boatshed underneath the stairs. He pushes her into the small, mess laden, mould wrecked wooden area, where rats and spiders had ruled unchallenged for the better part of a decade and catches her before she trips on rotting rope.

"Katerina Petrova," he grips her upper arms so hard that he hurts her, his eyes bore into hers and his face is set with determination,

"I am only going to say this once more. You _did not_ kill the Queen. You did not kill _Esther_."

Katherine choked on her sobs and laughed in disbelief,

"Not in a way that can be proven in a court of law you mean,"

She sniffs and blinks rapidly to stop the tears coming to her eyes from overflowing down her cheeks and ruining her make-up. She can't be weak.

She can _never_ be weak.

"I broke her heart Ansel," she gasps, "I…"

He clearly wants to slap her, but like her, he's all too aware of the eyes of the world beyond this room, he settles for stomping quickly on her foot, shocking her out of her before drawing her in for a rib cracking embrace, resting his head atop hers,

"Esther's heart was broken long before you ever set foot in the Palace, Katerina. It was broken and beaten and bruised until the only thing she knew was how to do her duty," He kisses her hair,

"You were her last great act of rebellion, her defiance against everything that had tried to destroy her."

She manages one dry chuckle before pulling back and propping her chin against his chest, looking up at him,

"And you were her first," she murmurs gently, "Aren't we a pair?"

He gives her a tight smile and squeezes her arms before stepping back and taking a miniature flashlight from his keychain, holding it up as she draws out a pocket mirror and checks her make-up.

Aside from her red eyes, she looked perfect.

Good.

Valhalla would have frowned in disapproval and the Court would have tittered delightfully with gossip if her mascara had run.

* * *

Elijah couldn't help but smile at Nadia's giggles as he held her in his arms, tickling her and making her squeal with delight as they chattered.

"Would you like to be a Duchess?" he asked her as he snuck her a sip of champagne and she stuck her tongue out at the taste.

"No," she declared, "I want to be a mermaid."

He chucked her under the chin, "Well, you shall have to learn how to swim in the sea and eat lots of sushi." He joked as she nodded eagerly, reminding him so much of her mother and aunt.

She had the determination of a Petrova.

And the instincts of one too.

She looked over his shoulder and frowned, "Who is that?" she asked and he followed her gaze to see Rose approaching him, trying to be both subtle but quick as she moved around the courtiers.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty," she curtsied as she approached him, "May I speak with you privately?"

With a reluctant sigh, he deposits Nadia on the ground and kneels to kiss her hand,

"Farewell my favourite subject," he murmurs, "Hopefully I'll see you again soon."

"I thought Aunty Katty was your favourite subject?" she asks suspiciously, her Petrova mind picking up on the small details.

"No," he grins, winking, "She's my queen."

Nadia skips back to her grandfather, slipping her tiny hand into his big one and those who don't know Giuseppe Salvatore and his reputation, roll their eyes or mutter under their breath about children attending the event.

Elijah is almost certain that these people will find themselves on many a list barring them from the most exclusive clubs in Hjart, not to mention restaurants or any places Giuseppe liked to frequent.

He turns to Rose, "What is it?" he asks with concern and she steps back, "If you would follow me, Your Majesty." She prompts and he frowns as she leads him into the castle and away from the public area to the servants' quarters.

"The kitchen has the best Wi-Fi," she explains as she leads him down the stairs, into the art deco, picturesque area where it seemed that half of his staff and the entirety of the Communications team were on their phones or ipads, some with fingers flying, others eyeing the king nervously.

"What is going on?" he asks uneasily, "Has there been an attack? Has someone died?"

Lexi Branson cleared her throat and came around the tile island, offering him her ipad,

"I'm afraid there has been some rumours spread about the funeral today," she begins cautiously,

"So far, it's only been covered by two trashy tabloids but they're being quite nasty about the issue."

_'Royal family rupture at King Mikael's funeral.'_

_Chaos as Princess Rebekah refuses to sit with King Elijah's fiancée._

_'Not my Queen.'_

_Is the Princess Rebekah making a political statement about the future Queen?_

Elijah reads the article titles and hands the ipad back to Lexi,

"Dare I ask for a summary?"

She swallows nervously, "They're saying that the Princess is outraged that the Honourable Lady Petrova is your fiancée and that the disagreement between the two of you is not only damaging the family, but the Court and the State. They say that the Honourable Lady Petrova is the one leading you in your political decisions and that her…Roma ethnicity is an issue in the matter."

Elijah runs his tongue over his teeth, "So all my progressive achievements are being discredited as the workings of a man following his cock and my sister is being accused of being a white supremacist?"

"We can spin this," she argues, "Say that Rebekah wanted to sit with her half-siblings and wasn't thinking about protocol…or that she has issues with Lady Petrova for other reasons so she's not a white supremacist."

"Technically," a voice contradicts from behind him, "She's only being accused of Antiziganism."

Katerina enters the kitchen with her father in tow, coming to stand beside him and slip her arm through his,

"Papa has already been called by the ERRC wanting to know what happened."

Elijah pinched the bridge of his nose, "The state funeral of the late King, my _father_ and now it's been reduced to tabloid trash."

He sighs in exhaustion and irritation, before looking to Lexi, "Alright, you shall handle this in such a way so that my foolish sister is not declared a racist in the eyes of the world, we're not the British monarchy after all, nor shall my fiancée in anyway be besmirched by the idiocy that took place today. Meanwhile, I shall generate some positive press."

Aiden's head shoots up, "Uh…" he flounders as he clearly wracks his brain trying to figure out a way to politely remind the King that he had scheduled a week break following the funeral to be spent with his siblings in privacy, "If I might ask how, Your Majesty?"

Momentarily flummoxed, Elijah tried to think of how he could generate good publicity without clearly being seen to do so when Baron Petrova delicately cleared his throat,

"If I might be so bold, Your Majesty," the man shrugged, "It has been an awfully long time since you visited Rose Seng."

A smile came to Elijah's face.

Rose Seng.

The closest he'd ever come to tranquillity.

"I would love to come stay," he told him honestly, "Is tomorrow too soon?"

Petrova shakes his head, "We're always happy to have you."

* * *

Rose Seng had been given its name in the seventeenth century, when a Prince had planted thousands of roses in the valley for his mistress, they'd grown out of control and been pruned back repeatedly until the family line had died out and in 1955- when Piotr Petrova had been granted the manor, he'd had the idea to farm the roses.

The village of Rose Seng had originally been outraged that the manor house, which had so long been the family seat of nobility had been snatched up by new blood- and Roma blood at that- they had scoffed at his _nouveau riche_ ideas, right up until they started making money.

By farming the roses to be made into toiletries, foodstuffs, decorations or even sold to the city, the Petrova's had not only reinvigorated the village, provided a means of tourism and found a way to make a profit off the land.

Which, in an era where fellow nobles were struggling to keep their homes heated and lit, going deeper and deeper into debt- was admirable.

Elijah could already taste the rose petal jam as his bags were loaded into his car, the same convertible that he always drove to Rose Seng, regardless of the weather.

The sun had even come out, albeit weakly, for the day, he's standing in the garage of Kattegat Palace while Lou checks over his car, not that any vehicle in Lou's garage was ever allowed to be anything less than perfect, but Ansel had made it protocol that they had to be checked before any member of the royal family drove them.

Closing his eyes, he leans against the stone walls, partially in the weak sunlight which barely warms his face and wishes that he was already in Katerina's village, where the scent of roses always lingered in the air, in the manor home where the guest bedroom would already be set up for him and there would be so much peace and quiet.

He hears the click-clack of high heels and senses a woman approaching. Cracking open one eye, he spots his sister stepping down into the garage and looking about the chaos and the muck with obvious distaste and he wants to turn his back and ignore her.

While every news outlet had run the state funeral on the first page, Rebekah's actions had either been mentioned in the first article or given entire pages to be described in alarmingly accurate detail. All across the country, people were speculating about the Princess' motives for snubbing Katerina and himself, with the suggestions ranging from almost correct to wildly defamatory and offensive.

One of the main theories trending was that there was animosity between Rebekah and his fiancée, which was true but amidst all the rumours, nobody seemed to be remembering why the animosity was there in the first place.

Elijah knew that his sister wasn't racist, she didn't hate the Petrova's because they were Roma, she hated them because she loved Kol and blamed Katerina for having broken his heart when her affair with Elijah came to light all those years ago.

No matter how many times Elijah had tried to defend his Katerina to Rebekah, to point out that Kol was his brother and he'd made the active choice to betray him, she simply would not believe him to be the one at fault.

Rebekah spots him and stomps over, her short black dress flouncing around her thighs, the numerous pieces of royal jewellery flashing from her ears, neck, wrists and fingers and Elijah is certain that he spots a pin in her hair that is meant to belong to the Queen's collection.

"Little sister," he sighs as she gets within ear shot of a whisper, "I really do not wish to discuss anything with you at this present time."

Rebekah glares furiously at him, "Do you have any idea what everyone is calling me? They're saying that I'm a racist! Just because I refused to sit next to _her_, who was breaking protocol by sitting in the royal pew anyway."

Elijah had closed his eyes after speaking and tried to continue enjoying the weak sunlight until that moment, he forces them open now and lowers his head,

"Katerina was sitting next to me because I wished to have her there, she would have gladly sat with her family had I not asked her to stay with me. Yes, I broke protocol but I still maintained respect for the occasion. I know you are upset that our father died, but he wasn't just Mikael, he was King Mikael X of House Lothbrok and we weren't just his children but his heirs, the future King, the Crown Prince and the Children of Valhalla. It was the state funeral of a king, the eyes of the world were upon us and your actions turned it into a ridiculous spectacle reminiscent of an American soap opera. It was undignified and unworthy of your position…"

He looks over and sees that his car is ready and straightens up, checking his cuffs and slipping on his driving gloves,

"Now, I am going to spend the week with my fiancée and her family at Rose Seng, you have the run of the Palace but I do not think that it is too much to ask that you don't make a fool of yourself during this time; you'll also need to work with Lexi Branson to find a way to rehabilitate your image, preferably before the opening of the Winter Court."

With that, Elijah kicks back from the wall and strides across the garage where Lou and Ansel are standing to attention,

"Gentlemen," he smiles, "I'll see you both at the end of the week."

He takes his keys and turns to Ansel, "I'd tell you to take it easy this week but I wouldn't want to have to put you in the unfortunate situation of having to disobey me."

Ansel gives him a wry grin, "Your security detail has already checked over Rose Seng manor, I'll check in with you once a day."

Elijah nods and claps the man on the shoulder before lowering himself into the driver's seat and letting the car roar to life. Taking his sunglasses from the glove box, he checks that Rebekah isn't still in his way before peeling out of the garage and shooting down the private road between the palaces, turning right onto a gravel path that lead him along the tree lined avenue of the gardens to an almost secret gate, which would give him access to one of the main thoroughfares out of Hjart.

His fingers unclench from the wheel when he manages to pull into the road with ease, the commuter behind him clearly not recognising his future King or questioning the gate now closing behind him. He smiles slightly to himself as he turns on the sound system in his car and focuses on the road around him, the upcoming red light, the man next to him clearly not paying attention, the asshole tailgating him…

Driving relaxed Elijah, especially when he got out to the country and could just drive to the very edge of Valhalla and park on a cliff and stare out at the ocean or race the setting sun as he shot along the cliff side roads.

He'd done a lot of driving after Katerina had left, at first his security detail would follow but after his attempts to lose them grew more and more reckless, Ansel had settled for knowing exactly when the Prince was going driving and expecting notification when he returned.

When he drove all that mattered was him and the road before him.

During their years apart, Elijah had promised himself that if Katerina had ever contacted him, had ever invited him to America to see her, that they would drive across the states together, down route sixty-six and hire a red Chevrolet before driving into Las Vegas together.

Although without the obscene amounts of drugs, alcohol and ether in the trunk.

Perhaps they could do that for their honeymoon?

* * *

Rose Seng was only an hour and a half from the capital city and when he got within the town limits he slowed right down to the mandated speed and looked about curiously for any changes to the surrounds.

A new house had been built and a new hotel for the tourists who came for the annual flower show, but neither were overly modern, there were strict building regulations within Rose Seng, to keep the character of the town and for that he was grateful. There was something relaxing about coming to a place where time seemed to stop when it came to architecture and design, where the same families had lived for generations and the same customs were still upheld.

He skirts the main part of town and goes along the backroads, having to drive slowly and frequently stop for jaywalkers but not minding, until he sees the old signs for Rose Seng manor and turns off.

There is a wrought-iron gate at the beginning of the manor road, yet it was rarely closed and never manned. He drives down the short path to the manor house and pulls into the space that has been designated for him since the third time he'd visited.

Rose Seng manor had been burnt down by one the Mad Baron in the late eighteenth century and rebuilt in the classical design, with white stone and large windows, it was only two floors and thirty rooms but the gardens were beautiful and there was such beauty in the place.

And in its owners.

Baroness Petrova trips down the stairs to meet him, her arms open and he returns her embrace as she kisses him lightly on the cheek,

"Hello Elijah," she says warmly, "Are you hungry or thirsty? Or tired? Was the drive alright?"

He smiles through her attempt to be maternal and assures her that he is fine.

Most mothers in his world seemed to exist purely to throw their daughters in his path, and although Miranda Petrova had clearly considered slitting his throat when she'd discovered that he'd been sleeping with Katerina, once they'd become engaged she'd become the epitome of a loving mother-in-law, or tried to at least.

Elijah could never look past the calculation and ambition that seemed to be tattooed onto her eyes.

He looks over his shoulder and his heart sinks when he doesn't see Katerina, followed by momentary panic that she was more offended than he realised over Rebekah's actions or emotionally exhausted from returning to Ensamhet yesterday.

Miranda reads his facial expressions, "Last I saw Katerina, she was up in her room," she tells him lightly although he expects she's rather annoyed with her daughter for not greeting the king with her, "You know where it is of course."

Elijah blinks in surprise but keeps his smile on his face, "Of course."

Had that been a subtle insult?

He takes his bags out of the car and carries them inside, into the wooden panelled entry hall and up the marble stairs to the first guest bedroom on the second floor, letting himself in and dropping everything onto the floor with a satisfied sigh.

The room hadn't changed at all since he'd last left it six months ago.

Every room in the house had been redecorated by Miranda when she'd moved in and roses were everywhere, either in the wallpaper, the glass of the chandelier, the bedding.

In this room she had managed to source a carpet and bed sheets that both displayed roses but had picked heavy red curtains and wooden furniture that was more masculine and yet worked with the floral design.

He sits down on the bed and notes the modern mattress and the thick duvet. The room was small and thus, for him, always a bit too warm which was why he tended to sleep only in boxers when he stayed there.

It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Katerina's bedroom was across the hall.

Curious as to her absence, Elijah stands up and makes his way over to her door, knocking quietly and waiting for a response. When he hears none, he presses his ear to the door and then lets himself in.

Katerina's room was entirely pink, and she had been refused permission to change the design every year since she'd turned twelve. She had a niche in the wall where her bed was and curtains that could be drawn down across it.

She hadn't bothered this time and so he sees her instantly, laying on the duvet, still wearing her high heels, jeans and purple ribbed tank top, one arm thrown over her head, the other on her stomach, her lips slightly parted.

Elijah found himself caught between marvelling at how innocent she looked and how her low cut top showed off her breasts.

He remembered all too well the first time he'd snuck into her room, it had been a warm summer day and he'd dropped by the manor unexpectedly, claiming a headache had rendered him unable to drive back to Hjart and asked to stay the night. Around midnight, when he was sure the house was asleep, he'd slipped from his bed and across the hall to her room, lifting his hand to knock when she'd opened the door. She had been coming to see him but was still breathless with surprise when he'd slipped inside and closed the door behind him. He gathered her in his arms and kissed her passionately, standing there in the middle of the room, with his bare feet on her plush carpet, he'd refused to release her until they were both nearly faint from the lack of air.  
Katerina had been wearing a white silk pyjama set and had bitten her lip as she shyly unbuttoned her shirt, allowing him to push it down her arms and see her breasts.  
When he'd snuck back to his room an hour later, his erection had been almost painful and her breasts red from where his mouth and fingers had been.

He swallows and tries to distract himself with thoughts of the upcoming appointment of ministers, before Katerina wakes up to find him before her erect like some horny barbarian.

Cautiously, he sits down on the bed beside her and frowns when something crinkles underneath him, reaching down he sees a notebook and, once he's sure it isn't a diary, picks it up.

Leaning against the wall at the head of the bed, he reads the list, seeing names of courtiers followed 'y' or an 'n'.

Ah. Katerina's inventory of those to be issued invitations to Court.

He glances down cautiously as she begins stirring, standing up quickly and moving into view so that she doesn't panic at finding someone in her room.

"'Lijah?" she yawns and stretches her legs, "You shouldn't be here,"

His heart drops and his smile falters before she sits up, looking around blearily,

"You'll get caught." She continues, running a hand through her hair and cursing before pulling it back and looking at her engagement ring.

"Oh," she drawls as realisation dawns on her, "Right, you're _allowed_ to be in here now."

He chuckles and sits down on one of her armchairs, "Recalling a time when I used to have to lie through my teeth to stay here?"

She smirks and leans back on her arms, "I was more focused on the times you were in my room, wearing a lot less than you are now."

She stands up and sashays over to him, straddling his legs before sitting down astride him, his mouth is dry as she reaches down and pulls off her top, showing the black lace bra underneath.

"Come to think of it, I never wore much either." She whispered before slipping her arms around his neck and leaning forward to kiss him. The kiss is slow and searching and Elijah waits until she is shifting even closer to him, her legs clenching around his thighs before he puts his hands on her hips. He bites her lip gently as he pulls away and teases her with a shadow kiss before turning his attention to her neck, pressing his lips just above the chain of her necklace before running his tongue over her and she whimpers,

"More," she pants in his ear and he lifts his hands to her waist and her bare flesh, stroking it with him thumbs, "More, Elijah."

He licks his lips and leans back to gaze into her eyes as he runs his hands around her to her back, pushing her forward until her crotch is pressed against his erection and she presses down and nods.

Gently, he runs his hands up to the clasp of her bra, slipping the hooks free and she slides it off her arms and throws it across the room before diving in for another kiss, this one passionate, as she slips her fingers into the collar of his shirt until she finds the button.

Her breasts press against his chest and he bites down gently on her neck, soothing with his tongue as one hand cups her arse through her jeans. He holds her in place as she unbuttons his shirt and tries to work it off him. When the chair gets in the way, he puts his other hand underneath her and stands up, causing her to gasp in surprise and wrap both her arms and legs tighter around him.

He divests himself of the shirt and is about to kiss her again when she lowers her head and reaches for the pendant around his neck,

"You still wear it." She whispers awestruck, holding the love rune between her fingers,

"Of course," he assures her, "I'll be wearing it when I'm crowned and when they push me out to sea and set me alight."

She blinks quickly and then presses her lips to his chest tenderly once, before her fingers come up and pinch his nipple, making him groan with delight.

"Bed?" he asks cautiously, kissing her earlobe and she bites her lip, looking over her shoulder before nodding, "Bed." She confirms.

He's just laying her down on the sheets when they hear the rapid approach of footsteps,

"_Aunty Katty!…Aunty Katty!_"

Elijah had forgotten to lock the bedroom door.

Thankfully all of those times they'd nearly been caught had left them with the ability to disguise a situation in seconds. So Elijah propels himself off Katerina, who immediately dives beneath the covers of her bed while he grabs his shirt from the chair and stands in front of the window, his back to the room as he hastily buttons it up, only making it halfway before little Nadia bursts into the room.

"Aunty Katty!" she calls searchingly before seeing him, "Hi King 'Lijah!"

Finishing the buttons and running a hand through his hair, Elijah turns to Nadia with a smile,

"Hello precious," he murmurs, "You'll have to be quiet I'm afraid, your poor aunt has a headache."

Nadia frowns in consternation and looks to the bed where Katerina's eyes are now half-closed and her hand is massaging her temples,

"Your head's sore, aunty?"

Katerina struggles to sit up, keeping her duvet firmly pressed to her chest,

"A little baby, I'll be fine."

Nadia pads heavy-footed across the room, "I'll kiss it better," she announces, jumping up onto the bed and clambering onto Katerina, probably causing more harm than good but she reaches up and presses a sloppy kiss to her forehead, "Better?" she asks, sitting back on her heels expectantly.

Katerina's beaming smile is so heartfelt that Elijah can't help but mirror it, "Amazing, I'm all healed."

Nadia cheers and jumps up and down on the bed, disrupting the covers and Elijah swoops in, grabbing her around the waist before she can wonder why her aunt isn't wearing a shirt.

"Where's my kiss?" he demands playfully as he tickles her, "My heart is broken!"

Nadia shrieks with delight as he carries her from the bedroom, into the hall just as Stefan comes up the stairs,

"There you are," he chastises, reaching for his daughter, "Sweetie, what have I told you about running in the halls?"

Elijah sets the squirming Nadia down and she faces her father, "I didn't run," she argues, "I raced and you lost and I'm a good girl because Aunty was sick in bed but I kissed her and now she's all better!"

Stefan raises his eyebrows before taking in Elijah's less than perfect appearance and closing his eyes in mortification,

"That's wonderful," he says, "Let's go see your Grandpa about becoming a doctor."

Nadia takes off thundering down the hall while her patient father mutters a quick apology and heads off after her, clearly embarrassed.

* * *

Katerina is bent over when he re-enters her room and he takes a moment to appreciate the view while trying to calm himself down as she picks up her bra and gets dressed,

"You'll be pleased to know," he jests as he goes to her mirror and begins setting himself right, "That Nadia is going to be the world's first mermaid medic."

She laughs lightly, "You're good with her," She compliments as she slips her top and jacket back on,

"Not many men are good with kids that aren't their own."

"Of course I'm good with her," he argues, slightly offended at being generalised,

"Several younger siblings and she's related to the woman I love."

Katerina came to lean against the wall next to him, crossing her arms and looking down at her heels and he watches her through the mirror,

"Elijah," she swallows nervously, "I don't want to talk about this but…are you clean? Have you been tested since you started seeing Gina?"

"Gia," he corrected automatically before reaching down to play with an old perfume bottle, running his finger over the diamond shaped top,

"And…no…I didn't, I didn't want to face your father in that respect but she assured me that she was free from any diseases."

Katerina makes a small sound of disapproval, "She could have something and not even know, you don't have to go to my father but…please get checked, if she has something that could make us both infertile…"

"I will," he promises, interrupting her as his cheeks flare with humiliation,

"And you?" he challenges, "Are you clean?"

She bites her lip, understanding the dig but nods, "I had myself checked every six months, the last time was only a week before I came back and we always used condoms."

He releases the breath he was holding with a sigh, "Wonderful, shall we discuss something else now? Or go walk the grounds perhaps?"

Katerina twirls a strand of her hair around her finger, "Or…it has been five years since I ate at the Rose Staff pub and…I'm kind of missing the food right now."

He chuckles, knowing that she's not referring to the secret menu for the locals but the tourist menu, "Well, you're in luck," he tells her as he guides her from the room, his hand on her lower back,

"Last time I was here they had goat's brie with rose jelly for appetizers, onion and rose milk soup for entrée, a lovely pork pie for main with rose water in both the pastry and in the filling and rose cupcakes, sorbet or mousse for dessert."

Katerina makes a disgusted face and he kisses her cheek, "You did say you were missing the food."

"Not the calorie content though."

* * *

Caroline glared at her laptop screen and sighed, promising that she would only answer another five emails and then totally be done and free to explore Katherine's hometown.

Which looked so awesome. She couldn't wait to do the perfume tour and the dessert making class and the…

Her phone buzzes and she glances it quickly before looking back with a smile.

The name Klaus flashed across the screen and she grabs it, unlocking it and reading the message,

_Klaus- 'How are you enjoying Rose Seng so far?'_

_Caroline- 'So far…working, but tomorrow I'm going to see everything they have to offer."_

_Klaus- 'Are you going to the Glass Lake?'_

Caroline frowns momentarily, deep in thought as she tries to recall having heard about it on the tourism sites. Oh yeah, it was a three-hour hike through the nearby national forest to a lake,

_Caroline- 'I was planning on it, hopefully I can take a Petrova along as a tour guide.' _

A few minutes later and her phone buzzed again,

_Klaus- 'The Petrova's have seen it four times a year for decades, they won't want to go, but I haven't been to the lake yet and I'd love to see it before it gets too cold. Are you free tomorrow morning?' _

She takes a moment to think. Katherine hadn't really given her any details for the week, just told her to relax or run wild as she preferred.

_Caroline- 'Free all day, see you at eight?'_

_Klaus_\- _'See you then.'_

Caroline smiles and bounces off the bed, heading from the second guest bedroom down the stairs to the hall where she sees Katherine's father walking past,

"Hi Mr Petrova," she calls as she steps onto the carpet, "Can I ask you a favour?"

Katherine's dad looks up with a smile, "Of course dear, how can I help?"

She grabs her phone out, "I was hoping you could tell me where the nearest sports store is? I'm going hiking tomorrow and will need proper boots."

He shakes his head, "There's one in town but first you should check with my wife and daughters, see if they have a pair that will fit you."

He jerks his head, indicating for her to follow him to one of the sitting rooms where Miranda is in conversation with a chef, they wait patiently for her to finish,

"Where are you going?" he asks curiously and she finds herself smiling idiotically again,

"Oh…the Glass Lake, K- Prince Klaus offered to take me."

It's on the tip of Alexander's tongue to mention how much he adored the Glass Lake and the hike through the forest to reach it. How he could stare at the water for hours and never once be bored.

Then he realises, with the wisdom of one no longer on the dating scene that if Caroline found out how much the Petrova's loved going to the lake, she might feel bad for going with the prince instead of them and invite them to come along.

So with a wistful grin, he stays silent.

* * *

A/N- Ha.


	12. Chapter 12- Katherine

A/N- Yes, it has been a while.

* * *

It was strange, but Katherine felt almost nervous as she stepped out the grand doors of the manor, to where Elijah stood waiting in the late afternoon sun. He's dressed casually, a white shirt that's open at the collar and black pants that, while expensive, would have come off the rack rather than tailored for him.

She's glad that she'd read the mood right and chosen designer jeans and fitted strapless top, covered with a leather jacket but she wouldn't look out of place at a high end restaurant.

"You look beautiful," he murmurs in greeting and she kisses him in response, taking his proffered arm as she sinks down into his car.

Katherine ran her hands over her jeans and noted that her palms were sweaty, rolling her eyes at her own foolishness, she rifles through the glovebox out of curiosity as Elijah moves around the hood.

Three cans of energy drink and a protocol list typed up by Ansel that included everything from driving precautions, what to do in the event of being tailed by paparazzi and a reminder that the car was not a place for fornication, due to the security risks.

She laughs at the last one as Elijah climbs into the car and settles into the seat, looking over to see what has her interest,

"If you ever get bored, ask Ansel what cars are safe for fornication," he quips as pulls out of the driveway, "He has a list."

She slips the piece of paper back into the glovebox and looks out the window at the passing countryside, it was amazing how much she'd missed the little things during her time in America. Not that she hadn't missed her family and friends, but she'd found herself crossing the quad at Whitmore and suddenly the image of the vibrant green grass of home would flash through her mind and the faint scent of roses that was always on the air. She'd even found herself nostalgic for the town hall parking lot, with its red bricks and old street lamps that were always turned on at five pm sharp, regardless of the season. It's still moderately empty so Elijah pulls into a spot with ease and they both look around for paparazzi before they exit the vehicle.

Not a single one to be seen.

Katherine slips her hand into Elijah's as they stroll across the parking lot, located behind the town hall so they had a few more moments before they were on the main street and would be recognised.

Impulsively, she stops and when he turns around she grins flirtatiously,

"I know something you don't know." she teases and he matches her expression and tone, his thumb stroking the back of her hand tenderly,

"Well unfortunately for you, I am the King, so I can command you to tell me."

She shrugs and tilts her head, pretending to be coy, "This is our first date." She points out to him and he frowns in confusion,

"No, it isn't," he disagrees, "The museum exhibition was our first date."

She shakes her head, "No, this is our first, real, out-in-the-open, officially a couple date."

He opens his mouth but pauses at the realization hits him and closes it again,

"You're right," he tells her, with a hint of embarrassment, "I should have brought you flowers."

She raises an eyebrow, "Like the _last_ time you brought me flowers?"

He drops his eyes and blushes adorably, "No, not like _that_."

"Good," she sashays past him with a smile, tugging him along, "Because I'm not the kind of girl who puts out on a first date."

He catches up to her as they round the corner onto the main street and she's immediately distracted by trying to note every little change that had occurred, the storefronts were all heritage listed but there had been some paint jobs and the displays in the windows were different. There were some people she hadn't seen before and were obviously new to the village, judging by the way they stared as she and Elijah walked past.

The Rose Staff Pub was a beautiful art-deco building, with large windows and a stunning garden that played to the theme of Rose Seng. It wasn't the dinner rush yet, so there were only a few people dotted around the tables inside and Katherine noted with a greedy eye that the best table with the window seats was free.

How many hours had she and Elena spent there? Drinking endless lemonades or hot chocolates and then proudly switching to coffee when they were old enough, thinking themselves so mature and cultured.

Knowing one hundred percent their place in the world.

The owner of the pub is a stout middle aged chef, nicknamed Eric the Red for his magnificent bushy red beard, he refused to go by any other name. A perpetually jolly man, he's all smiles when she and Elijah walk through the door and does a double-take when he recognises them.

When Elijah had first started visiting Rose Seng, under the pretense of loving the quiet village, the villagers had found themselves facing a quandary. After all, this was the Crown Prince, the future King, of course they would be awe-struck and respectful in his presence, although, clearly what attracted him to the town was the desire to get away from the formalities of the city.

So how to act?

When Katerina had left Valhalla, the villagers had still been stumbling along that fine line, but now, Erik comes bustling over with his arms outstretched,

"Katty Petrova…as I live and breathe, welcome home!"

She finds herself being wrapped up in sweaty arms, coarse cotton shirt, plastic apron and the scent of meat, sugar and male body odour. But she submits to the embrace, smiling and getting flashbacks to her childhood, to the summer ice-cream parties that Erik would host for the school.

"I've missed you," she admits when she breaks away, "I missed your cooking the most." She adds quickly to dispel the emotion of the moment and he laughs,

"I'm not surprised,"

He looks down at her, "There isn't a scrap of flesh on you, girl, I thought America was the land of the obese," he finally turns to Elijah,

"Come, come, I'll lay out the best table for our returned rose."

Elijah chuckles and follows them as they walk through the bar into the restaurant area, Katherine keeping an eye out for every familiar face and either waving or stopping to make quick conversation.

When her grandfather, newly titled, newly rich, had come to Rose Seng, the villagers had been horrified, to have their grand manor inhabited not only by an upstart, a foreigner but a gypsy to boot. However, not even a month after he had arrived, a storm had blown several trees across the road and when the village men had gone out to move them, he had joined them, not ceremoniously, not invited or requiring any special treatment, he had worked alongside them, chatting easily and working as hard as the rest of them. That evening, he'd been invited back to the school house where the women had been cooking food for the workers and met Freida, the music teacher striving to obtain funding to build a primary school for the village. She and Piotr had been married the day before the school had been officially opened and her portrait hung in the assembly room.

That was how her family had won over the town. Grandfather Piotr had always drilled into them the need to be polite and modest, to be respectful of everyone in the village and to know that only sheer luck had them born in the manor house and that they were never to forget it, they were never to look down on people for having less than them.

_"The mistake the big men in this world make is giving the little men a reason to come together and destroy them." He told them, _

_"We must never give people a reason or the chance to destroy us."_

The table has been laid with a pristine white lace cloth with a magnificent rose pattern that Katherine admires as she slides into the window seat, Elijah settling in beside her,

"His highness brought that back for me from Venice," Erik tells her, with a nod to him, not realising that he was using the wrong title,

"I only ever lay it out for special guests."

"I rang ahead and made a reservation," her fiancée explains to her, "Since our engagement, tourism has spiked in this area, I was worried we wouldn't get a table."

Katherine is certain that a table would have been cleared for the King of Valhalla but she knows that Elijah would have hated to have had such a spectacle made in his name. He had lived in his life in the public eye however, instead of becoming arrogant and entitled, he had moulded himself in Ansel's image, he was dignified, reserved but eager to put those around him at ease, to try and have people see him for the flesh and blood man rather than the glittering gold crown.

"You've been making friends in my absence," she teases, changing the subject as the bread is brought over, taking a piece and closing her eyes in bliss.

"I came here a lot after you left," he admits, and she opens her eyes as his voice lowers,

"I made up stories about your studies, from what little information I could glean from Elena and lied about the rest, about having spoken to you, visited you. I figured that if anybody would find your long absence strange, it would be the people who had watched you grow up, the people who truly knew you."

There's so much loneliness behind his words and she moves over in her seat, as close to him as possible and slips her hand into his, twining their fingers together,

"Thank-you," she murmurs, kissing his hand, "And I'm sorry, I won't leave you again."

"I know you won't," he chuckles drily, rubbing his thumb against her engagement ring,

"We're to be married soon, besides, your face is being splashed across the front pages of media outlets the world over, where could you possibly run to?"

Only a few weeks ago, that thought would have terrified her, now she just laughs and smiles in delight as Erik brings over the first course.

They've barely even finished the main course when the pub begins to fill up, people coming in under the pretense of having a drink or getting dinner but all of their eyes finding the couple immediately. Katherine pretends not to notice, although she does acknowledge the familiar faces but blanches when a tour bus pulls up.

Fixing a winning smile on her face, she curses through her teeth, catching Elijah attention. Tour buses ran through the district daily, covering the rose fields, the glass lake, and the pub for a drink or a meal before they were bused back to the hotel or to one of the neighbouring villages.

Erik hurries over as the tourists begin disembarking, looking at the pub with avaricious eyes, for the moment clearly ignorant about the royal patron with his back to the window and more interested in food.

"I'm sorry," he apologises, "This is an out of town company, they never warn us before they arrive, should I send them away?"

Elijah shakes his head, "May we get the sorbet to go?"

Two glass dishes neatly filled with rose sorbet and silver spoons stamped with the pub crest were brought out just as the first tourists began to filter into the building and while Elijah kept his head down, he was quickly recognised.

He winced as a bright flash went off and dropped his credit card, but, despite his thick fingers, Erik caught it before it hit the table and tapped it against the machine quickly, sliding it back to him and positioning his heavy back to the crowd of tourists, shielding them from another bright flash.

"Please don't use flash cameras in this building," one of the elderly matrons of the town snapped,

"You'll damage the interior."

The tour guide managed to convince some of his pack to turn off the flashes on their cameras and phones but he couldn't stop them from calling out Elijah's name.

Katherine stood, keeping one hand on her dessert as Elijah took her other and began leading her as quickly as possible while still maintaining a casual air, he couldn't be seen fleeing from the scene, however nor did he want to be swamped and bombarded with photographs when he'd clearly not dressed for the public eye. He smiled politely and nodded hello at the tourists, but was reserved and clearly not interested in lingering to chat or ask questions.

Erik almost plays the bouncer for them, getting them to the door and through the garden where they stepped onto the main street and noted with relief that it wasn't yet busy. They say their goodbyes, Katherine promising to return soon, and then she jerks her head to Elijah,

"Follow me."

There is a tiny park at the end of the main street, a block of land that everyone had argued over the development of for so long that they eventually just agreed to make it a garden.

She leads him to the tiny mound and they settle themselves on the grass, enjoying their sorbet in peace for a moment or two before they begin talking again,

"Have you started the list for invitations to your Court, yet?" she asks curiously and he shakes his head,

"No, not yet, I didn't have time not the willingness to do so before Mikael's funeral, especially after the bad press it was garnering. The list will easily be a fortnight of power plays and manipulations."

She shrugs as delicately as possible considering her position and her outfit, "I can draw up the list for you, I've been away from Court for a few years but I doubt much has changed."

Elijah sighs, "Unfortunately, you are not wrong in that regard, but draw up the list if you must, I'm sure between your family and Giuseppe its already complete."

She frowns at his cold tone, "Elijah…"

"Katerina, I do not want to talk about Court matters during our first date."

He sets the bowl and spoon aside as she winces at his harsh tone, "Forgive me," he murmured, reaching over to cup her cheek with his hand,

"But I came to Rose Seng to escape my future for just a little while."

She wants to argue that becoming king is nothing that one could or should want to escape from but she leans over and kisses him instead, tasting the sugary sorbet on his lips and smiling as his tongue teased her mouth. She starts when she hears familiar laughter in the distance, in her tiny village, Caroline's American accent stood out.

She doesn't pull away from Elijah, letting his arm wrap around her shoulders, almost protectively as they look across the street to see two beautiful blondes crossing the road, their arms laden with bags.

With the instinct that Katherine always suspected was part supernatural, Prince Klaus' head shot up when he sensed his brother nearby and turned to Caroline, saying something before they headed over.

Caroline is dressed in hiking gear, nothing new but it fit her well, she managed to make the outfit look as though she were posing in a magazine, there's a white flower threaded into her plait and a leaf caught in her shoulder strap.

Her beaming smile is infectious as she approaches, "Hi, seriously Katherine, your village is amazing! And the Glass Lake is so beautiful, I could have stayed there all day and the perfumery and the jam factory…"

Klaus falls down theatrically beside his brother, wearing his army cargo pants and matching t-shirt,

"I'm exhausted…" he groans, "I can't keep up with this one, she's worn me ragged."

Caroline rolled her eyes as she knelt down beside Katherine, "Boys are the worst to do touristy stuff with, but he's a decent translator and if he's here then I won't have to drag you or your family to things you've probably seen a billion times!"

Actually, Katherine would have gladly shown Caroline around Rose Seng and Kattegat, however, she figures that if she did she'd be third-wheeling.

Judging purely by the look in Klaus' eyes as he listened to Caroline talk.

Meanwhile, Elijah tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, kissing the shell,

"Whom is cock-blocking whom right now?" he whispers and she giggles,

"Too close to tell."

* * *

For Bonnie Bennett, waking up before Damon Salvatore wasn't unusual, she liked to be up with the sun but having him get out of bed before her was just plain weird. Typically, she woke him up when she rolled out of bed, but while she did yoga or checked her emails, he'd grab the book on his nightstand and read a couple more chapters before breakfast.  
She both envied him and found his ability to plough through books while still getting all their work done attractive as hell.

"I'm beginning to think that you've been lying about the kind of man you really are." she teases as he emerges from the ridiculously large and ornate bathroom in their hotel room, steam still rising from his hot skin. He smirks as he pulls his clothes out of the wardrobe, "Have you forgotten that today is the day we break up?"

She rolls her eyes and flops back onto the bed, "We aren't breaking up today." She argues, going to cover her mouth as she yawns and whacking herself in the lip with the eighteen carat diamond of her engagement ring.

The ring Damon slipped onto her finger on their first night in London as they walked through Hyde Park.

It was a bezel-set, square diamond in platinum and the best part was- it was completely ethical, the diamond having been mined in Canada and the platinum band being fair-trade recycled. Damon had sourced the materials personally and proposed to Bonnie with a jewellery box he'd carved himself out of a piece of scrap timber from her hometown of Mystic Falls.

Heck, even if they hadn't been dating for five years, the trouble he'd gone to alone to ensure she'd like the ring would have been enough to win her over.

Bonnie Bennett had met Damon Salvatore at a convention in New York. They were both MBA graduates, but whereas he was looking to make his way to the top of Wall Street, she was more interested in founding an ethical trade company. Strangely enough, when she'd pitched her idea to him, he'd given her some advice, put her in touch with a friend and helped her get her business off the ground.

Six months after that, they'd celebrated the opening of her first store by making out in the back room. They'd moved in together when she'd officially become a chain and she'd figured a proposal was coming when she'd been invited to speak at a Fairtrade conference in London, as the youngest CEO.

Bonnie's company, Black Cat, provided fairly trade fashion, jewellery, homewares and furniture, all in the same store, so that people who wanted to switch to the ethical lifestyle, didn't have to try and source their products from all over the state or even across the globe. For the higher end clients, she even had an interior designer who would redo their entire home in her products.

Recently, after her last CFO had bailed to chase her ex-girlfriend all the way to New Zealand and win her back, Damon had come on board as replacement. Now, they were also thinking about expanding into cafes and bakeries as well.

"I can't wait to meet your family," she says, rolling out of bed and padding over to the window, looking down over Brook St, Mayfair. "Besides, they'll all have to be there for the wedding."

He wraps his arms around her waist and groans, "Bon-Bon…"

She tilts her head back and fixes him with a glare, "You dealt with my mom and dad, I can handle your brother and his family."

"Famous last words." He singsongs as she pushes past him to the bathroom.

* * *

Bonnie hadn't really believed in the whole six-degrees of separation thing until her best friend Caroline Forbes had skyped her beside herself with excitement that her friend Katherine was the sister-in-law of Stefan Salvatore and 'Hey, wasn't your boyfriend's name also Salvatore?'

Bonnie had sent a tentative email to her future sister-in-law Elena, introducing herself and letting her know about the engagement. Not even an hour later, at one am, Elena had emailed back congratulating her and letting her know that she, Stefan and their daughter Nadia would be in London the very next day and she'd booked them an afternoon tea downstairs in the Foyer and Reading Room.

It had been sudden and between that, and the fact that Damon apparently didn't understand the concept of budget hotels- he'd reserved them the Superior Queen suite at Claridge's after all- suggested to Bonnie that she'd been right in her suspicion that her fiancée came from money. Not that it mattered, he only ever spent what he earned, and had never looked down on her Grams or her for not being wealthy.

Still, Bonnie's nervous as she waits in the lobby for her future in-laws, Damon having to step to the side to take a call, patting down her dress and hoping that, despite coming from the predominantly white country of Valhalla, they wouldn't have any racial prejudices.

A Mercedes S- class pulls up before the doors and a handsome young man steps out, moving around quickly to open the door for his wife, but before his car door is even shut, a little girl bounds out, ignoring his cries of 'Nadia' and rushes into the hotel.

Bonnie quickly steps in her path and holds out her hands, "Hey there, Nadia, my name is Bonnie, let's wait for your parents okay?"

Nadia is wearing a lovely blue dress that probably cost more than Bonnie's entire outfit, she has ribbons in her hair and looks so much like a doll that she's half tempted to pick her up and put her on a shelf.

Nadia looks up at her with wide eyes, "Your skin is brown!" she exclaims and Bonnie raises her eyebrows and tucks a stand of hair behind her ears,

"It is," she answers, "Because I'm African-American."

"It looks like chocolate." The little girl tells her in perfect English and Bonnie decides to take the compliment,

"Thank-you."

"If we cut you open would you bleed chocolate?"

Wow. That got dark _fast_.

"No," Bonnie stresses the word as Damon comes over and slips an arm around her waist,

"I would bleed blood, like a normal person."

Nadia doesn't look convinced, "Are you sure? Maybe we should check…"

Damon raises his head, "WTF, Stef?!"

Stefan Salvatore approaches, looking mortified, "I am so sorry," he says to Bonnie, taking Nadia by the shoulder, "I swear she's met black people before."

Bonnie shrugs, "It's fine, she's young, kids say silly…"

"Legal cannibalism would get rid of all the dumb people and stop there being too many bad people in prison," Nadia pipes up,

"Grandpa says so."

"Okay," Bonnie allows, "_That_ is terrifying."

Damon digs his hand into his pocket and draws out a pound, tossing it onto a side table where it rattled on the wood,

"All yours," he tells his niece, "Fetch!"

Nadia hurries over to claim her prize and he reaches down and squeezes Bonnie's hand,

"Stay beside me at all times."

She nods, "Good call."

Elena apologises and comes forward, gathering Bonnie into a tight hug and kissing her cheeks in the European style of greeting,

"It is so lovely to meet you."

There is no affectation in her eyes, only genuine joy and kindness and Bonnie finds herself smiling, "You too."

They don't have a table in the main room but the second one for more privacy. Bonnie notices that there's an extra chair and setting but thinks nothing of it. Now that she's been successfully distracted from her violent tendencies, Nadia is behaving like a perfect angel, waiting until her tea has cooled before sipping at it daintily while Stefan and Elena bombard Bonnie with questions.

Not that she minds, she can see genuine interest in their eyes and they happily tell her about their life in Valhalla, although the way they pause before referring to their homes-_plural_\- as 'houses' or the fact that both of them claimed to be 'in the family business' suggested that Damon's family was either very wealthy or crime lords.

She has a mouthful of salmon sandwich when Elena asks Damon whether they'll be visiting Valhalla while they're on holiday, telling Bonnie that Kattegat is absolutely beautiful all year round and the temperature hasn't dropped too badly even though winter was right around the corner, when Damon looks over her shoulder and tenses.

Swallowing quickly, she follows his gaze and sees an older man, suited and with a cane making his way towards them.

"Stefan…" her fiancé growls and his brother shrugs, "I didn't invite him!"

Okay. Bonnie stretches the word in her mind, this must be Damon's father.

To buy her fiancé some time, she gets to her feet and holds out her hand,

"Hi, I'm Bonnie Bennett, it's so nice to meet you."

He stops and takes her hand but doesn't shake it, instead, he turns it over and kisses it formally, "Giuseppe Salvatore, Count of Mörkt trä, Earl of Skydda."

He speaks English fluently so Bonnie knows that there wasn't a mistranslation there.

Count?…Earl?

"_Damon_…?" she says his name like a question as she drops back down into her chair in shock, the Count and Earl sitting down in what she now realised was his seat.

Damon manages to look slightly guilty, "I wanted you to fall in love with me, Bon-Bon," he sips at his tea, clearly forgetting that it wasn't bourbon,

"Besides, I was disowned, so it's not like you'd be getting anything out of the marriage anyway."

"Besides your love, Damon." Elena interjected pointedly and Bonnie sent her a thankful glance.

"Actually," Giuseppe said as he took Nadia's hand, kissing it the same way he'd kissed Bonnie's,

"After seeing what you've made of yourself, sans name, title or privilege of any kind, I might be interested in reinstating you within the family."

Damon only scowled, "I'm not playing games or dancing to your tune, Dad, I'm living my own life."

Giuseppe casts his eyes to Nadia pointedly, and smiles in what could almost be perceived to be a friendly manner,

"And I'm interested in hearing all about that life," he turns to her,

"Tell me everything about your enterprise Ms Bennett, I know that in my day we didn't have such options available but now it seems that everyone in Valhalla is interested in environmental sustainability, what do you know about solar energy? I would be interested in helping you extend your business to Valhalla, I'm sure I would be quite useful when it came to the red tape."

Stefan cleared his throat, "Uh, father, the Ministry heads were retired _en masse_, remember?"

Giuseppe gives a little chuckle, "You think I was referring to those corrupt idiots?! No, Stefan, when it comes to power, you never kiss the foot of the man on the throne, but his second, the one who holds the true power."

Something in his tone, even though he's trying to be warm and light-hearted, warns Bonnie that this isn't a man to mess with. She gives him a polite smile, just like the one she'd seen Caroline give many a time during fundraisers, "Black Cat is still establishing itself in America but perhaps next year?"

He nods, "Of course, but I must insist that you both come to Kattegat for the coronation, I've already spoken to the Master of Ceremonies about providing you with places."

Bonnie nearly dropped her spoon, "_Coronation?_"

She doesn't even bother addressing Damon but turns to Elena and raises her eyebrows,

"Um…my older sister is engaged to the next King of Valhalla, so well…"

"We're expected to be there as a whole family unit," Giuseppe interrupted as Elena blushed,

"And what better day to introduce my future daughter-in-law into society? She can wear Lilly's pearls, they would look stunning, don't you agree Damon?"

Damon looks as though he's currently biting through his tongue and wears a sarcastic smile on his face,

"Hey, why don't we go for a walk in the courtyard, get some fresh air?"

Nadia's head shoots up with an adorable confused frown but Stefan and Elena distract her while Bonnie, Damon and Giuseppe walk across the foyer, into the hall that leads to the courtyard.

"_Why_ are you really here?" Damon demands under his breath and Bonnie tries to figure out why his speaking so softly, not that it matters, Giuseppe clearly heard him.

"You truly believe that I have some ulterior motive?" he queries, his cane tapping softly on the bricks as they walk,

"Perhaps I simply wanted to reunite with my eldest son? I am proud of what you're accomplishing, and that you have allied yourself with an educated woman, building her own fortune."

"I'm not Stefan," Damon points out, "I don't like to pretend that there's any good in you, why are you really here?"

There's so much pain behind those words that Bonnie instinctively wants to protect him, and shifts her weight slightly so that she's creating as much of a barrier as possible between the two men.

Giuseppe exhales, "If you must know, I wanted to make a public show of my happiness for your engagement, to show how proud I am to have Ms Bennet in the family. That way, when she enters Valhallan society, the issue of her race won't be so troublesome and, so that when the scandal of Gia Mohan comes to light, people won't be able to point and claim that our desire to be rid of her is based on race."

Damon frowns in confusion, "Who the hell is _Gia_?"

* * *

When Miranda had been a little girl, like all little girls, she'd dreamed about being a princess.

About living in a castle and wearing beautiful gowns and always being happy.

For her, it had been a method of escape from the unhappy, mediocre reality that had been her life.

And as she'd grown older, the desire for wealth, for prestige, for what others had, hadn't gone away. Instead it had grown, especially in Valhalla, where palaces, chateaus, manors and castles dotted the landscape. Where royalty and nobility graced the papers. Miranda had been a beautiful girl, watching as these less beautiful, less talented girls had the world handed to them simply because they were the daughters of blue bloods. She'd promised herself then that one day, she would have everything they had.

But how to attain it?

She was beautiful, so she became a model.

Her face was her ticket to society. First, as a trinket on the arms of rich men and then, as she rose higher and higher, their girlfriends.

She had originally planned to move to the United Kingdom, to London where she had seen the Russians buying up Soho and thought that, as a European, she would be a cultured beauty. However, the British nobles weren't only snobbish, they were, for the most part, either impoverished, xenophobic or both. Their mothers either looked down on her or looked at her and saw dollar signs.

So she'd come home to Valhalla and found the noblemen more than happy to marry her, but again, very few of them had wealth and those that did, wanted things from her that she was unwilling to give. Her agency for starters and any future where she was anything other than a trophy wife.

Then she had met Alexander, the second-generation nobleman, who had invited her to Rose Seng, a manor house to be sure, not a palace or chateau, but had made it clear that he wasn't looking for a trophy but a woman to be his partner and matriarch of the house.

A house that she would redecorate to her own desires and a man with ambition in his eye and- most importantly- his mother in the grave and his father more interested in music and charity than interfering with her marriage or getting in her way.

The people from her life before, her parents and friends from childhood had been so awestruck by her good fortune, while the friends that she'd made on her ambitious path considered her to have settled, a woman who could have made a much more brilliant match.

However, she had trusted her instincts and in the end, she had a doting husband, two beautiful daughters and a position at Court.

And most importantly- a title and a manor house.

Every season she loved opening up Rose Seng, letting the public come in and admire the history, the new design and the gardens. She loved the pride she felt as people queued up at the gatehouse to buy tickets.

"Look at me," she wanted to tell them, "Look at what I've accomplished and who I've become."

Which is why, even with all the security hassle, she wouldn't dream of cancelling the open house when the King was in residence. How could she resist letting people know that, the King himself, stayed in her house? That he considered it a home and her daughter- the future Queen- walked with him through the same gardens and sat with him in the same parlours where the tourists took endless photos. How could she resist showing off her little piece of history?

So that morning, when the staff from the National Heritage trust arrived to set up the ticket office and the guided tours, she met them in the entry hall,

"Good morning," she greeted them with a proud smile, "I'm afraid security is going to be tight today, both His Majesty the King and the Crown Prince are in residence, but the family shall be staying in our regular, closed to the public areas so…"

She frowns as the house phone rings, honestly, she'd forgot that antique was still connected,

"Do excuse me."

"Rose Seng Manor, Baroness Petrova speaking," she trilled into the phone, never getting used to being able to say that.

"This is Giuseppe," the voice on the other end replies smoothly, "I shall be arriving is your district in an hour with Nadia, I shall see you then."

Giuseppe Salvatore, never one to be accused of being verbose. He'd never been one to relax etiquette, even though they were in-laws.

He'd also never forgiven them for snatching up the one son remaining to him, although he clearly loved their granddaughter.

Miranda sighs as she placed the phone back in the receiver and turns to find that the staff, who'd all worked in the house before, were managing everything without her instruction, there was really nothing for her to do and no reason for her to linger in the hall, to 'accidentally' be spotted by the public.

Disgruntled, she heads upstairs to where her family and the royals were breakfasting in her sitting room.

* * *

Nadia announced Giuseppe's arrival before the butler had time to do so, she ran ahead and burst into the sitting room, wearing a brand new dress,

"I met Bonnie!" she announced excitedly, "And I'm gonna be a flower girl!"

Miranda smiles indulgently at her granddaughter, she was so boisterous, she never remembered Katherine or Elena being so loud or ungraceful. It didn't help that she was clearly spoiled by Stefan and Elena, or that the King treated her with so little decorum, picking her up and letting her eat off his plate. Miranda had examined the royal personages in their private setting enough times to know that they had no idea how to interact with one another as a normal family unit, yet she rather thought that Elijah overdid it in his attempts to learn.

Giuseppe bows when he enters the room, his hands gripping his cane as he observes them all, his eyes settling on Caroline.

"I do not believe I've had the pleasure," he extended his hand, "Lord Salvatore."

Caroline stood quickly and gave him her hand, "It is nice to meet you," she says in almost perfect-albeit accented Valhallan- "My name is Caroline Forbes."

Katerina's friend was a pretty little thing, intelligent too and eager to please, Miranda had watched her around her daughter and seen that she truly appeared to care for her, almost mothering her which she supposed was good for her eldest daughter at least, she'd always seemed overeager for love.

She had been annoyed to see how taken the Crown Prince Niklaus was with her, however. Not that Miranda had had any set plans for him, except that she would have preferred to have matched him with a lady of the Court, someone from a powerful family to link with the Petrova name. Better yet, someone who wasn't so pretty as to risk drawing attention away from her daughter, at least not until after the wedding, not until she was pregnant and at risk of appearing less than perfectly beautiful in public.

Giuseppe strode to the window and looked out onto the sprawling gardens, noting the stables and the carriage shed that had been converted into a small factory for making rose flavoured jam to be sold in the gift shop down the road.

"Alexander, I never have had the chance to see your factory and Nadia regales me with stories about how delicious the jam is, perhaps you could show me how it is made?"

If the younger generations hadn't been distracted plying Nadia for details about the newest addition to the Salvatore family, perhaps they would have noticed this ploy.

Miranda however, stood up determinedly and took her husband's arm,

"I'll come with," she said, leaving no room for argument, "I could use the fresh air."

Giuseppe clearly is put out by this, mistaking her words for misunderstanding but Miranda was no fool. He wanted to talk Court matters over with her husband and Miranda was as much a partner in building the Petrova dynasty as she was in her marriage. She wasn't a silly trophy wife to be left behind while men talked business.

"Very well." he allows, apprising her with interest.

The three of them stride down quickly to the factory and Alexander leads them straight to the office where he oversaw production. Giuseppe scans the area with sharp eyes.

"Will we be overheard?" he asks cautiously but she shakes her head, "This area is closed to the public and security does bug sweeps when Elijah comes to visit."

He nods, "Good, what we need to discuss shall have to remain private as long as possible."

For a moment fear chills her veins, she racks her brain quickly trying to figure out what secret it is that he's uncovered, or perhaps there was trouble in Elena and Stefan's marriage?

"What is it?" Alexander asks brusquely and she can tell that he's as worried as she is.

Giuseppe clears his throat, "Are you two aware that your son-in-law to be has a mistress?"

* * *

Rebekah was sure that she had the wrong address.

Absolutely certain.

But she checked it again and again on her phone, matching it with the picture she'd pulled off the internet and decided that it either had to be right or some great joke.

Why in the name of the gods would her brother the King, the King of Valhalla, the man who could have any woman he wanted, sleep with someone who lived in the student part of town?

What was he thinking?

Still, she tells her driver to wait for her on the street and hurries across the road, looking about for a doorman before realising that there isn't one and not even a reception area either.

She looks at the names on the wall, finding the one for Gia Moran and pressing the button.

For a moment she wonders if she isn't home when a voice suddenly comes over the speaker,

"_Hello?_"

American.

"This is Princess Rebekah," she calls loudly, "I wish to speak to you."

Silence, followed by a whispered, "_What the hell?!_" before the door buzzes and Rebekah pulls on it, encountering resistance before pushing and slipping through.

The elevator is tiny and the harsh lights hurt her eyes but the trip is short and when she steps into the corridor, a woman sticks her head out the door,

"Hi."

Rebekah stops and purses her lips, contemplating her.

She's not uber-astoundingly beautiful, especially because she isn't wearing make-up, her hair isn't styled and she's in jeans and a regular t-shirt, but there is potential there.

"May I come in?" Rebekah asks as she pushes past her into a tiny apartment.

It looks like a doll house, a messy dollhouse, although some attempts at quick cleaning had possibly been made.

Which means that she doesn't have a maid.

Strange.

"Does Elijah know you're here?" Gia asks, closing the door behind her and crossing her arms,

Rebekah contemplates her, she has a piercing gaze and a no-nonsense attitude that she rarely encountered.

"What does my brother see in you?" she demands as she sits on the couch,

"Tea please."

Gia's eyebrows shoot up, "Coffee or beer?"

Rebekah pouts and rolls her eyes, "Coffee then, but I don't like percolated and I take it with milk and two sugars."

"One beer coming right up."

Hmmm. Maybe Elijah liked being ordered around? Ewww, she gives a delicate little shudder at the thought.

"No," she answers as she's handed a beer- sans glass or coaster- "He doesn't know I'm here but I wanted to meet you."

"To meet me or to scare me off?" Gia snorts as she takes a swig of her beer, Rebekah sits back and regards her with interest, "You think I'd have reason to scare you off? My brother's mistress?"

Even without smiling, there's something in expressive in Gia's eyes that convey her emotions,

"I'm your brother's…mistress…for lack of a better word because I'm good at keeping secrets, I haven't told anybody that we're together and I don't ever intend to, but if you're here that means the secret could get out."

Discretion was a must for the romantic interludes of the royal siblings. Rebekah recalled all the times she'd gone on dates just to have the guy more interested in getting seen with her than actually getting to know her or making sure that they had a good time. She remembered all the times that Kol's salacious scandals had infuriated her father and all those women had come forward claiming to have slept with Elijah.

"Discretion is the better part of valour," Rebekah says, quoting Shakespeare and when Gia salutes her with her beer, she's surprised,

"I'm a violinist with the Valhallan symphony orchestra," she points out, in mild offence,

"You honestly think I don't know Shakespeare?"

"Do you love my brother?" Rebekah demands, getting straight to the heart of the matter and feeling annoyed when Gia shrugs noncommittally,

"I care deeply about the parts of him that he's willing to share with me."

Both an answer and a non-answer.

Rebekah tilts her head and tries to figure out an easier way to ask the question before diving right in, "Enough to fight his fiancée for him?"

Gia puts her beer down and shakes her head, "Nope. Elijah always made it clear that his fiancée is his one and only, I knew when she came back that he and I would be over and done with."

Rebekah gave a delicate scoff and crossed her arms, "You can't be serious?!" she snaps,

"What kind of woman has the chance to win over the King and settles for being his side-piece?"

"The kind of woman who drinks beer, cares more about her violin than her shoes and wouldn't want to be queen for all the tea in China." Gia responds with a sarcastic smile and Rebekah stamps her foot, jumping up,

"I'm disappointed in you," she tells her, "I can't believe that you're the woman my brother chose, one who won't even fight to save him from his mistakes."

She turns her back pointedly and stomps to the door before Gia calls out,

"_Wait!_"

Rebekah stops, still refusing to turn around but her next question has the princess' blood running cold. "Is he hurting himself again? Is that why you're here?"

Rebekah spun on her heel, "_What?!_"

Gia sighed and ran her hands through her hair, "Shit, I shouldn't have told you but, someone has to know in case I'm not there…when I first met your brother, he would drag his nails up and down his arms and legs, sometimes leaving scratch marks there for hours, sometimes breaking the skin, he always said that the problem with being the Crown Prince is that he wasn't allowed to shed his own blood, not even in private," She swallows, "It took me months to get him to stop."

Elijah had hurt himself?! Physically hurt himself?

If word got out…

The rich and powerful were allowed to go crazy in a way that the normal citizens were not. When they did cocaine or drank themselves stupid, they were called wild or rebellious, when someone in the masses did it, they were called addicts.

This gave the royals some leeway in destructive behaviour but physically harming oneself, any display or act that could be linked to mental illness would place Elijah in danger of losing his throne.

And she hadn't been there to help him.

"She did that to him," Rebekah spat, holding her head up quickly lest the tears fall and ruin her mascara,

"Damn Katerina Petrova, she ruined him, she ruined everything. She made Kol fall in love with her and then cheated on him with my brother, then she dragged my mother away to Ensamhet and never even told us that she was sick until she was dying and it was too late. Then she ran away and left my brother alone for five years."

She hurried over to the coffee table, sitting down and taking Gia's hands,

"You don't understand," she blurts out, "Katerina doesn't love my brother, she only wants to be queen and she doesn't care about him, not like you must if you've been protecting him all this time…please help me, I can't lose him to her and his own suffering."

For the longest time, Gia looks at her, studying her intently but obviously doesn't see any falsehood there because she squeezes her hands and gives her the tiniest smile,

"Okay," she surrenders, "If Elijah wants to be fought for, I'll fight for him."

* * *

A/N- There we go. Please let me know what you think but no, bugging me to update does not fucking work. I'm a uni student doing my MA, I don't always have the time and the energy to update as frequently as you would all like. I do this work for free, unless you all want to start paying me to update at which point I'd be more motivated to keep to a more satisfactory schedule.


	13. Chapter 13- Elijah

A/N- So someone asked me this question and I had to spend an embarrassingly long time thinking about it but Katherine is 22, she was born in 1992, and Elijah is 27.

* * *

_Flashback _

_Elijah held his breath, every part of him tense as the car drew smoothly closer and closer to the National Gallery. _

_Beside him, King Mikael was growling under his breath and he glanced to the front of the car where Ansel was sitting in the passenger seat. _

_But how could that man stop his father's fists when they were in a public setting? _

_He couldn't. _

_Elijah's arm already ached. _

_And in that moment, the darkest part of himself wished that his siblings were with him, to draw away his father's ire, or even his mother._

_But Niklaus was grounded, the rest of them were too young to go out on a school night and his mother was in the Netherlands attending a conference. _

_He was the only one available to attend and he couldn't bow out because his absence would be noticed. _

_The car draws to a stop and he exhales the tiniest sigh of relief when he hears the cheering crowds. _

_The love of the people had always soothed the king. _

_He fixes a smile on his face and follows him out of the car, waving to the crowds but making sure not to be more exuberant than the King or to draw too much attention away from his father. _

_His neck still ached from the last time he'd committed such a crime. _

_Before them, at the top of the stairs, is the heading in bright blood-red letters, exclaiming to everyone the exhibition that they had been forced to attend. _

_The humiliation they had been forced to endure on opening night. _

_Royals lost to Revolution _

_This had been a power play by the Minister for Cultural Affairs, an attempt to show the monarchy who truly held the power in the kingdom. Unfortunately for the poor minister, it _was_ the King who held the power, who held the lives of his noblemen in his hands. Therefore, Elijah expected that the only thing being lost tonight was the man's position in Valhalla and possibly his wealth. _

_The grand doors sweep open before them and inside the crowd of beautifully bedecked people gracefully part to make them a path. Their titles are announced and they proceed forward, Elijah careful to stay three steps behind the King, who keeps a sharp eye on him as the highest echelons of society bow before them, murmuring their greetings as they move past. _

_King Mikael is allowed to give them his hand and make conversation but Elijah has been ordered to keep it to polite but distanced smiles and nods. _

_So he fixes his eyes above their right shoulders, essentially ignoring them until he's snapped out of his trance by a familiar face. _

_He's surprised that she's here on a school night, with her little sister in tow but she has a cheeky smirk on her face and her eyes flicker up to meet his in defiance of tradition. _

_He finds his lips curling up in an answering smirk as he acknowledges her, his footsteps faltering, unable to make conversation but she shrugs, clearly understanding his predicament and not taking issue. _

_He moves on. _

_The King leads everyone into the first room of the exhibition where endless glasses of champagne and other drinks await them, he gives a toast as Elijah stands dutifully behind him, deliberately not letting his eyes flicker towards the buffet tables that are groaning under the weight of the delicious foodstuffs and desserts. _

_Katerina is lost in the crowd of tall men and women, and the moment that everyone has finished applauding the king, Elijah finds himself set upon by those in high society who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity to speak with him. Businessmen, movie stars, directors, he greets them all politely and makes small talk, trying to ignore the awe struck look in their eyes. _

_In his jacket pocket, his phone buzzes. _

_Thankfully it goes unheard in the steady hum of conversation and he continues answering questions and making jokes that receive far more laughter than they deserved. _

_His phone buzzes again. _

_After a third time, he excuses himself and ducks behind a pillar, knowing that if he was caught on his device the king would be furious. _

_However, he's still smiling before he even unlocks the screen because he already knows who has been contacting him. _

_After the garden party, he had exchanged numbers with Katerina and two days later, found himself receiving bizarre, cutesy messages, jokes and riddles. _

_There was an innocence and fun to her texts that he didn't receive from his other friends, who mostly contacted him to invite him out to parties or women who sent him flirtatious photos or sexts._

_'Is security guarding the exhibitions tonight or just you and your dad?'_

'_If you had to hide from security in this place, where would you do it?' _

'_Need your help, in the atrium with the fountains' _

_What on earth? _

_He catches the eye of one of Ansel's men and jerks his head, signaling that he needs a break. The man nods and comes over, pretending to whisper in his ear and then leading him over to the elevator hidden behind the grand staircase, _

"_Thank-you." Elijah murmurs, slipping inside and pressing the button for the sixth floor. _

_Wondering what Katerina could possibly be up to, he struggles to keep his expression calm as the elevator dings and the doors begin to slide open. _

_A hand reaches in to grab him and he reels back, reaching automatically into his pocket for his emergency button that would summon Ansel to his side. _

"_Found you, you little…"_

_The man attached to the pudgy hand is short, rotund and red faced, but upon realizing whom he had attempted to manhandle, he goes spectacularly pale, _

"_Your highness," he splutters, "Forgive me." _

_Allowing himself a moment to inhale and calm his racing heart, assuring himself that this was not an assassination attempt, Elijah straightens his jacket and adjusts his cuffs, _

_"When my family was invited here tonight, I was not aware that we would find ourselves in danger, perhaps you made the mistake of taking the revolutionary theme to heart?"_

_The man is flabbergasted and Elijah can see from the pin on his velvet jacket that he is the curator of the gallery, _

_"Forgive me, I thought…" he cleared his throat, "I was looking for someone else."_

_Muffled laughter reaches his ears but is nearly drowned out by the water splashing in the fountains. _

_Elijah steps out of the elevator and gestures to the doors, "Perhaps you could look for them downstairs? I came here for a moment of privacy." _

_The curator clearly doesn't wish to leave but he has no means of denying this request without breaching etiquette, so he lumbers into the elevator and tries not to look too dejected as the doors close. _

_The sixth floor atrium had a domed glass ceiling that showed what few stars were visible in the night sky. The only lights came from the fountains and his shoes clicked on the marble floor as he strode towards the columns at the far side of the room. _

"_Katerina?" he called softly, "You're safe now." _

_The laughter bounces across the room merrily and two girls emerge from the shadows. _

_One who looks very unhappy, _

"_I'm going downstairs," Elena tells her sister, "And I _hope_ you got caught on the security camera." _

_She gives Elijah the quickest of curtseys and storms away with her nose in the air. He watches her with amusement and turns back with anticipation. _

_He's not disappointed. _

"_Were you wearing that an hour ago?" he asks jokingly as he takes in Katerina's new outfit. _

_She's adorned in a replica of Marie Antoinette's blue gown that she wore upon her arrival to Versailles, although sans head wear, _

"_This was in the costume section," she tries explaining around her giggles, _

"_Technically, I'm allowed to wear this." _

"_Ah," he smirks, "And was the costume section _open_ when you tried on this outfit?" _

_Katerina glances at the floor guiltily, "Not exactly." _

_He laughs and makes a note to speak to Ansel about the security cameras. "Well," he gestures to the gown, "Was it worth it?" _

_She nods eagerly and spins with her arms held out and the skirts swishing around her ankles, _

"_I find Marie Antoinette fascinating," she confesses, "And beautiful and I've always loved her fashion sense." _

_She faces him again with a hint of breathlessness and there's an offer on the tip of his tongue but he manages to swallow it before he reaches for his phone, _

"_I'm afraid that I don't have pre-Revolutionary French music in my playlist, for some reason," he jokes and she laughs, _

_"But, if you're willing to endure a waltz?" _

_She nods eagerly and steps forward as the music begins to filter from his phone, he places one hand on her waist, taking the other and allowing himself a moment to note the height difference before he begins leading her across the floor. _

_The silver light casts her in an ethereal glow and when the music dies out, the only thing left is the splashing of the water and the sound of her rapid breathing as they glide under the blanket of night. _

* * *

"_This morning, the eyes of the world are turned towards Valhalla, where, in a few short hours, the coronation of King Elijah will take place in the capital Hjart…"_

"Turn that off." Elijah snapped as he sat up in his bed, looking around wildly for the source of intrusion on his sleep.

But he was alone.

Confused, he reached for his phone on the bedside table and saw that it was only two am, his room was empty and there was no-one in his apartments.

He had been dreaming.

With a groan of frustration, he flopped back down onto his pillows and stared up at the canopy above him.

Tomorrow night, he would be in the King's apartments. Niklaus would sleep here from now on and Kol would be moved into Niklaus' old rooms and Henrik would be moved into Kol's.

The three of them would have to get used to the different furniture, decide which art works and decorations they would take with them and which would stay behind, they would have to find the secret entrance to the passageways and remind themselves of their new positions in both the palace and the nation.

He would miss this room. He had spent his whole life in here and now, now his brother would be moved in as an almost cruel reminder of how easily he could be replaced.

Niklaus would become the Crown Prince, he would sit in Elijah's apartments and receive guests there and in the event that Elijah died, he would be picked up and placed in the King's apartments and if he died, it would be Kol's turn.

They were like pawns on a chess board or dolls in a doll house. One is lost, another takes its place.

Who would care who inhabited the rooms? For security and the servants, it was all the same, they would follow the same protocol that they had during his father's time and if he died tomorrow, whom would be affected by it?

The nobles would bring out the same mourning clothes they had donned for Mikael and utter the same meaningless condolences, the public would repeat the same posts on social media, with only a change in name. The Treasury would print new currency with a new face and slowly the old notes and coins with his name and visage would be removed from circulation. The souvenir shops would slap clearance stickers on the knickknacks they'd created for his reign and in a week or so, they'd have newer, flashier pieces out.

Who would honestly notice or care if he was replaced?

Katerina.

She was the only one who stood to lose anything if he died. The future queen.

Her family would be fine, they would suffer the blow but find a new way to move forward, no longer in arms reach of the throne but they'd recover. Stefan Salvatore was good friends with Niklaus, the family wouldn't find themselves turned out of Court.

And he supposed that if he was out of the picture, Kol might once again step forward as a perfect match for his fiancée.

Katerina wouldn't love him like she loved Elijah. He was certain of that, but if one couldn't be the Queen, surely being consort to the Crown Prince was ample compensation?

With a groan, he rubs the sleep out of his eyes and decidedly turns his mind away from the dark path it was walking down.

He's not dead yet.

Besides, Ansel was personally overseeing every single security detail for tomorrow, he had vetted every single guest in attendance- save for Caroline Forbes, who had bought his love and loyalty with Starbucks flavoured coffees, but Elijah was sure she had no evil motives- and already infuriated foreign dignitaries by refusing their requests if they in any way posed an issue to the national security detail.

Elijah had had to endure a formal complaint from the U.S ambassador who'd had the gall to be angered after being denied the right to carry a gun into the Royal Temple. This had been surprising considering that the last incident with the U.S had been a vulgar Texas republican who'd flown to Valhalla and swaggered into the Palace on the opening day of the Winter Court with a film crew in tow and told Elijah in no uncertain terms that his country took issue with the pagan sacrificing of the totem animal that was the millennia old tradition in the coronation of kings and, caught up in his own arrogance, demanded that the king convert to Christianity or find himself at war with America.

At that point, Elijah had been somewhat certain that the politician had meant the Christian citizens of America but he'd decided to take that threat at face value.

He was not going to let the world think that he was a weak king, a puppet to have his strings pulled by the nation that considered itself the world's superpower and police force. So, he'd shrugged his shoulders, declared that their nations would then be at war and ordered his acting Minister of Defense to put the navy on high alert, to close the embassy in Washington and to order the revocation of all American visas in Valhalla.

By the time the Texan republican was being escorted to the airport, his actions were already having severe consequences.

There were roughly three thousand U.S college students studying in Valhalla, enjoying the cheap but excellent education system, including the Vice President's son- who'd found himself dragged out of a crucial exam to be evacuated to the embassy, calling his father in panic and concern as the rest of his fellow students found themselves receiving emails or calls warning them that they had to leave the country as soon as possible.

The President had found himself scrambling, as the U.S naval ship off the coast of Valhalla was ordered to leave its waters immediately and any mode of transportation-whether ship, plane or bus- even partly owned by a U.S business had to leave the territory by the end of the day.

That evening, every last media outlet in Europe and the Americas was headlining with the story, mostly in favor of Valhalla, although a few did point out that Elijah should have dismissed the threat posed by the now humiliated politician. Monarchies across the world came forward in support of the Lothbrok's and by midnight the President of the United States had personally called to apologize and humbly request that Valhalla reopen its waters, not expel U.S citizens and to be reassured of America's friendship and respect for his nation's religion.

High on his own power, Elijah had agreed only on the condition that the President issue a formal apology to be released to the press as soon as possible and to remove the Texan politician from office.

Both requests had been met and the next morning, the formal apology had been splashed across the front pages, next to the official statement from the Master of Ceremony who had explained that the animal would be anesthetized for the ritual so that it would feel no pain and to notify the world of the law which states that the animal in question is the totem animal of the ruler and for the remainder of their life, it will be illegal to hunt this animal in Valhallan territory.

Elijah had met the animal last night. The stag was being kept on the Temple grounds and, on impulse, he'd asked to be shown the creature.

It was already sedated when he'd been led to its enclosure, on the edge of sleep and in no apparent distress. He'd stroked his back and quietly explained to him why he had been chosen for the sacrifice and thanked him. He comforted himself by swearing that when he'd looked into the stag's eyes, he had seen comprehension and forgiveness there.

Perhaps tomorrow, the creature would even make him feel less alone, as he stood there before the entire world and became Valhalla's king.

Until the next one came along anyway.

And the next.

And the next.

And the…

He's awoken by a knock at his door and is surprised to see that sunlight is filtering through his windows. He doesn't remember falling asleep but can't remember having watched the sky grow lighter so he must have.

The door begins to open without his having given permission for the person to enter, so he relaxes, already seeing Katerina before she even slips inside.

"Morning," she whispers, her face unmade, wearing a pair of jeans and a pale blue top.

"Morning," he answers, sitting up and frowning at the package she's carrying in her hands, she smirks and walks sedately towards him, sitting on the edge of the bed and placing it before him.

"Tradition dictates that the King's consort brings him his clothes before the coronation, before either of us get ready" she explains,

"It was a little tricky because I'm technically not your consort yet but I still exist so it was a toss-up between me and Rebekah,"

He winces and she nods, "Yeah, so she's already unhappy and I nearly had to call your guards to stop Genevieve from yanking this out of my hands and tossing it to one of her daughters to bring instead."

He rolls his eyes and reaches out to touch the golden tissue paper, wrapped up in a silver ribbon. He tears it open and sees the suit that had been tailored for him, save for the white shirt that had been worn by his ancestors at their coronations for the last two hundred years. When held up to the light, he could still see the faint stains of blood and sweat from Mikael's coronation.

He wrinkles his nose when he detects the faint scent of the laundry powder used by the Palace, surely it was some sort of sacrilege?

Katerina shifts his dress pants out of the way and her fingers close around a small item which she places into his hand, closing his fingers over it,

"This, I snuck in," she admits, "For luck."

He opens his palm and sees a strange piece of jewellery, a rose gold brooch with the royal crest and the pin an elaborate outline of a stallion.

"Your crest and mine," she brags, taking it from him and threading it into his jacket, above the medals of his station, "I've had another one made for me, with your insignia on the pin, I'll be wearing it today."

He grins, and reaches up to cup her cheek in his hand, her curls brushing over his fingers,

"Is it not enough that I wear your love around my neck?" he teases, "Perhaps you should sew your name into all my shirts and stitch it across my pillow?"

She hums in agreement and lets him draw her in for a kiss, "Don't tempt me," she murmurs against his lips, "Or I'll have our monogram tattooed onto your chest."

He laughs and slips an arm around her waist, pulling her closer as he kisses her fiercely, tempting her to part her lips and open his mouth to him. She squeals in surprise when he falls back against the pillows, bringing her against his chest and his hand leaves her cheek to stroke through her curls and down her spin to her backside, gripping it through the denim,

"Elijah," she moans as they break for air and he plants kisses along her jaw, "I have to go get ready."

"No," he protests, drawing his fingers up and sliding them under her shirt, "Stay with me."

He smothers her argument with another kiss, rolling her over onto her back and struggling to get the blankets out of the way,

"I am your king," he breathes against her neck as she gasps and rises to his touch, "And I order you to stay."

She shakes her head but doesn't protest when he unbuttons her jeans and slides his hand into her panties, she lifts her hips to grant him access as his fingers stroke her folds, arousing her until she is wet and he can slip his digits into her with ease,

"Elijah," she moans his name and presses her palm to his chest, her nails scratching his skin as he drives his fingers in and out of her, her head tilts back against the pillow and her eyelids flutter closed. Her hand drops to the waistband of his boxers and pushes them out of the way, reaching for his cock and wrapping her hand around it, her thumb swipes across his tip, catching a drop of pre-cum and she squeezes him gently, opening her eyes as she runs her hand from head to base. Her cheeks are flushed and her breathing quickens as his fingers search out the perfect spot and press against it, she comes apart under his touch with a weak cry and pulls the blanket to protect her clothes as he spills onto her palm.

He buries his head in the crook of her neck and tries to catch his breath as she wipes her hand on the blanket and rests it on his back,

"This is the last time we'll ever be together in this room," he whispers in her ear, "After today…"

She turns her face and kisses the crook of his neck,

"The King's rooms…or the Queen's," she wrinkles her nose, "I'll speak to the Master of the Household about changing the mattresses and sheets."

He chuckles and buries his nose in her hair before they're startled by a knock on the door,

"Your Majesty," Stefan's voice filters through the wood, "Lady Katerina's presence is requested at the Cousin's Palace."

She reaches for his phone on his bedside table and sees the time, cursing she slips out from under him, "I am really running late," she explains as she ducks into his bathroom and washes her hands, making herself presentable before hurrying out the door, "I'll see you later." She calls, waving absently as she disappears,

"Goodbye." He calls after her and sighs as Stefan sticks his head in, "Can I send in the gentlemen of the privy chamber?"

He shakes his head at the thought of all the customs and laws of etiquette he'd have to go through today just to get dressed,

"Fine," He surrenders, "Bring them in."

* * *

Katherine could hear the laughter and chatter coming from her rooms before she even reached the grand doors, which had been left ajar, she slipped back in and went momentarily unnoticed as Caroline had body wrapped herself around another girl,

"It is so, so, so, _so good_ to see you," she squeals excitedly and then sees Katherine standing behind her,

"Oh my God, Kat, your mom is getting really anxious about you not being ready on time! You have to get in the bath, like now!"

Katherine smirks and waves at the young woman, "Katerina Petrova."

The woman waved, "Bonnie Bennett, fiancé to the tragically missing Damon Salvatore."

The woman was pretty and had a sense of humour, good, it might keep her sane in this world she was being cruelly thrust into.

"If you're lucky, he's standing by an open window blazing up right now," she warns as she strides past,

"If not, you're going to get a running commentary through the whole damn coronation."

Her dressing room had been taken over by the women in her family and the hairdressers, make-up artists and manicurists who were hard at work on various people. Elena was sitting on a stool having her hair professionally straightened despite the numerous treatments she had undergone to render it permanently straight,

"Mom is being put into her dress right now," she tells her without moving her head or even looking up from the mirror,

"But she said that Caroline and Bonnie should be seen once you're ready."

Katherine smirks and watches the hairdresser run the flat iron through her sister's hair,

"Is that what she actually said?" she asked in Romani and her sister giggled,

"She may have used a few colourful words about your punctuality."

They had three hours before they had to be ready but Katherine knew as she walked into her bathroom and saw the tub filled with essential oils that Miranda was going to take every minute available to them to ensure that not one Petrova family member or anyone who could claim kinship would step out that door looking less than stunning.

And by the time Katherine could pick up her skirts and descend the marble stairs to the palace garden, she was actually feeling grateful that her mother had been so insistent.

She had never felt more beautiful. Especially because, in her hair sat a tiara of silver with diamonds set as roses, that Elijah had sent via the Royal Jeweller.

Katherine stopped at the hall leading to the palace gardens and allowed her mother to check her over one more time before she led her family outside, where dozens upon dozens of elegant carriages lined the path from the Royal palace to the Cousin's palace. Dressage horses stamped their feet and shook their heads as the nobility milled around in their finery, chattering excitedly and taking endless photos while they waited for the signal.

Aiden saw her and bustled over, looking caffeinated to his eyebrows,

"Elijah wanted me to double-check that you have everything you need," he almost shouted into her face,

"And to make sure you know where your family is in the line of precedence."

"Um…okay," Caroline stepped around Katherine and faced Aiden, either as her personal assistant or as her protector, Katherine couldn't be entirely sure.

"I see that the carriages are numbered so you tell me and I'll put her in the right one."

Aiden nodded so hard he was probably giving himself spinal damage, "Here, let me show you."

He grabbed her hand and tucked it under her arm, pulling her away so quickly that if Katherine wasn't sure that he wasn't interested in women she probably would have screamed for security.

And she nearly did when she saw him almost push Caroline into a carriage but her friend somehow had the man smiling, managing the barest of laughs before he ran off to the next item on what was probably a To-Do List longer than the preparation for a satellite launch.

"Dear Katerina."

Katherine turned when she heard the familiar overly sweet and poisonous tones of Duchess Genevieve, she spins on her heel with a flourish of her skirts, knowing how beautiful she looked and sank into a quick and graceful curtsy. "Your Grace," she smiles, "How nice to see you."

Genevieve's smile cracks on her face and her expression becomes ugly as her eyes land upon the tiara in Katherine's hair,

"That's the Queen Freida tiara," she spits, "Why are _you_ wearing that?!"

Sensing the hostility, her family starts to circle closer but Giuseppe is the first one to speak,

"Ah, thank-you Genevieve," he rests his hands on his cane, "Since the Royal Jeweller presented it I have been wracking my brain trying to recall the name of the piece."

It had been a long-standing joke that Genevieve's knowledge of the Royal Jewels equalled that of the Jeweller himself and the computer inventory, her eyes catalogued every piece greedily and she had often snatched up any chance she was given to wear one of the jewels and they always had a hard time convincing her to return them.

Katherine has a moment where she honestly thinks that Genevieve is going to rip the tiara out of her hair and braces herself to fend her off when they are interrupted,

"Mother?"

One of Genevieve's daughters, Davina- Katherine manages to recall the name, comes over,

"Monique said there's an issue with the carriage." She sighs and slouches, crossing her arms, "The gold probably isn't shiny enough for her."

Behind her, Damon snickers and Davina blushes prettily at having caught his attention, Genevieve hurries off and the girl lingers, looking up at Katherine shyly,

"You look really nice." She says quietly and Katherine smiles kindly, "So do you," she offers the young girl, "I love your hair."

Davina's smile is like the sun breaking through on a cloudy day and she scampers off with an innocent joy that Katherine had long since forgotten and envies her for.

Her attention is drawn by the ribald sounds of cheering and clapping and the family watches as Stefan approaches,

"I've been chosen." He confesses and Katherine and Elena burst out laughing while Caroline frowns in confusion, "For what?"

Katherine is about to explain it to her but she sees Klaus making a beeline for them and falls silent, letting him take the opportunity,

"To be the loyal traitor," he explains, slightly breathless from having moved so quickly,

"A long standing tradition," he continues, taking a step towards her after Alexander and Giuseppe start talking loudly about the weather, making it almost impossible to be heard,

"The King and the Crown Prince travel in the same carriage, however, because my ancestors had a tendency to kill each other on the way to the coronation, it became law that we had to have a man ride with us. Fortunately, after a few kings chose assassins to knock their heirs off for them, a law was passed that both the King and the Crown Prince had to approve of the man. So naturally, we'd choose whomever we thought was more likely to kill the other royal."

"Oh," Caroline giggles as she realises, "That's why he's called a loyal traitor?"

Klaus nods, beaming at her amusement, "At some point, both 'Lijah and I have to sneak a weapon to Stefan for him to carry through the ride and 'hope'," he uses his fingers to make the air quotation marks, "That he's either loyal to the king or a traitor."

Stefan is blushing as people in the crowd tease him and Katherine steps forward, taking his hand and raising it to her lips, kissing it dramatically,

"Please don't kill the King," she jokes, her voice breaking as she tries to hold back her laughter, "I'd be _ever_ so heartbroken."

Elena has to hold onto Bonnie to stay upright she's laughing so hard and even Giuseppe has a smile of amusement on his face,

"Good luck." He tells his son, "And if you do decide to commit treason, I ask that you at least commit it successfully."

Stefan sighs loudly, "I'm going to go wait by the carriage," he mutters, spinning on his heel and stalking over to the carriage at the front of the line.

"We'd best find our carriages," Miranda instructs the family, "The courtiers have to leave before the King." She explains to Caroline and Bonnie,

"Okay," Caroline draws her phone out of thin air and taps the screen, "I have the list Aiden sent me, we're in carriages three and four."

Oh.

That would have been the problem Monique had with the carriage, the first two carriages were reserved for the King and his children or siblings, and then the natural children, in this case Finn and Freya. Katherine, Caroline and her parents would ride in the third carriage while Elena, as a Salvatore, would ride with her in-laws in the fourth carriage and therefore they would all enter the Temple before Genevieve, making them the most powerful nobles in the land.

There was no backing down now.

* * *

So, I'm now moving my Kalijah stories to kalijah-addict tumblr so that it's easier to find the fic that you're looking for. If anyone would like to make me a kalijah themed header that would be lovely!


	14. Chapter 14- Elijah

A/N- Here we go. Sorry for the delay but my studies were a bitch, plus I had writers block for this chapter but the next update won't take nearly as long, I promise.  
Also, I now have a Kalijah drabble series called If Only.

* * *

It was surreal.

One moment there was nothing but the sounds of laughter, eager conversation and the rattle of carriage wheels over the stones. Bright sunlight dancing through the leaves of the ancient trees as they made their way through the garden and around to the front of the palace.

Katherine sat by the window and twisted to look over her shoulder as the royal carriage carrying the future King stopped, waiting for all the nobles who ranked high enough in privilege to ride in the procession of carriages to pass before continuing. She tried to wave but the carriage moved on too quickly and Elijah's attention was on Stefan.

Still, she kept him in her line of sight until the sounding of the trumpets surprised her and they exited through the gates into the public streets.

The cheers of the crowd hit them in a wave.

"Wow!" Caroline reached up to cover her ears, "It's worse than being at a concert!"

Katherine looked out the windows and saw the citizens behind the barricades, waving their arms and their flags, holding up their phones and cheering as the carriage in front of her, carrying Kol, Rebekah and Henrik rattled forward. There were journalists as well, presenters shouting into their microphones in front of cameramen and she hears her name as they move past.

Katerina Petrova.

King Elijah's fiancée.

The future Queen of Valhalla.

One day, she would be riding in the last carriage, beside her husband as they rode towards her own coronation.

She would become one of the most powerful women in the world.

And could change it for the better.

She smiles as she imagines the tiara on her head becoming heavier as it morphed into the Queen's coronet.

She looked down at her fingers, stroking her engagement ring as she pictures the wedding ring Elijah would slip behind it, and the signet ring that would have to be placed on her other hand.

Esther had made her wear it once, for an entire day so that she could understand the physical and metaphorical weight that she would have to carry around for the rest of her life.

At the time it had frightened her but she hadn't even been eighteen years old and terrified of her future.

Now, she was excited, her years at college had given her the workings of the knowledge needed and she and Elijah would fill their Council with experts who would guide them to the best decisions for their country.

She had so many plans.

Tossing her head back, she turns to the crowd and waves at them, smiling as they respond with enthusiasm.

These people loved her. She was young, beautiful and the media articles painted her as a woman that cared about the people of Valhalla.

Besides, who wasn't excited by the idea of a royal wedding? Even those opposed to the monarchy would appreciate the public holiday.

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

"You ask me that question again and I'll turn this carriage right around and nobody will be going to Disneyland!"

Elijah frowned at the repartee between his brother and future brother-in-law,

"Correct me if I'm mistaken but I thought we were going to my coronation?"

Both men laughed, "Remind me to sit you down and have you binge watch American television at some point," Niklaus said, patting his shoulder, "It'll be good for you."

He rolled his eyes and turned to the window, his view partially blocked by the cavalry riding beside his carriage. Stefan cleared his throat nervously and started a conversation with his brother in low tones while Elijah tried to distract himself by looking up at the sky.

He couldn't see it.

As per tradition, the Royal Procession left the palace and moved to the outskirts of the capital city before re-entering through the main road, which became the royal mile when they reached the old town. The journey was five kilometers long and in the ancient, slow moving carriage, felt like ten and a half.

Right now, they were still in the business district, where the high rises and skyscrapers blocked out the sunlight and any light that was reaching the carriage was from the hundreds of flash cameras going off.

The cameras being held by the crowd of people.

His people.

Millions upon millions of his citizens had descended upon the capital to see him crowned, full of expectations. They wanted him to usher in a new age, to bring youth and energy to the monarchy and to the land, to bring prosperity and hope to all.

But he was just one man.

With the weight of the world on his shoulders.

The blood red, ermine lined cloak across his shoulders feels unbearably heavy for a moment before he closes his eyes and exhales slowly.

He is the King.

He has been trained and educated for this role his entire life.

He is ready.

* * *

By the time his carriage reaches the Temple, the entire Court is already inside, along with visiting dignitaries from across the world. A bright red carpet is rolled out to the steps of his carriage and the cavalry form a guard, waiting until Stefan and Klaus climb out before drawing their swords and holding them over his head as he slowly sets foot on the carpet.

The crowd is chanting his name and he looks over his shoulder with one final nod before walking determinedly into the Temple.

There is a trick known only to the priests, although there are few windows and usually not much allowance for natural light into the building, on special occasions, they somehow placed the candles and silver on the walls in such a way that the area was bright as the day outside.

He pauses in the entrance and allows his eyes a moment to adjust before sweeping his gaze over the crowd. He keeps his face passive as everyone turns to face him and a cameraman forgets himself enough to nearly overstep the boundary line as he pushes the camera closer to his face.  
He keeps searching until he sees Caroline's blonde hair and looks to the left to see Katerina, her face shining and she's visibly fighting to keep the smile from her face.

The high priest steps from the shadows to the altar, two priests beside him who take their hands from their sleeves and cast them to the silver fonts either side of the fountain, flames erupting and roaring merrily. Men with their faces painted in the royal colors and the traditional drums tied around their neck with rope silently file out to stand against the wall and wait, their sticks poised, ready to begin.

The high priest takes a deep breath then issues a resounding cry in the ancient tongue,

"Elijah, King of Valhalla, come claim your crown."

The drummers sound a beat as he moves forward, and there is a clatter in his wake as the heads of each house throw a coin bearing their insignia behind him to show their loyalty and support. Genevieve manages to aim hers at his ankle.

He reaches the altar and lowers himself to one knee before the high priest, and raising his head to meet the man's eyes.

"Are you Elijah Aaron Daniel Mikael of house Lothbrok? Son of the late King Mikael, descendant of Bjorn, the founder of Valhalla?"

"I am he." He answers firmly, his voice seeming to echo through the chamber.

"Are you the King of Valhalla? Monarch of our island, leader of our nation?"

"I am he."

"Are you the one who claims the crown? The right to rule and to uphold the traditions and laws written by our gods?"

"From this day unto my last." He swears and the priest nods before addressing the audience,

"This man has declared himself our King, will you accept him and give him your loyalty, your lands and your lives?"

"We swear on Odin himself." The crowd answers in unison and for a moment, Elijah is sure that they mean it, that they would follow him into battle, into death, out of love for him.

The high priest moves behind the altar and Elijah senses someone behind him, reaching around his shoulder and removing his cloak, when he whispers,

"My King." He realizes that it is his brother Niklaus carrying out another one of the hundred traditions required of him that day.

The stag is brought to the altar, his head positioned over the surface and the killing is quick, a silver dagger slashes his throat and his blood is poured into a bowl.

"The stag is a dignified creature, strong and grounded. May the nobility of his sacrifice and his vitality give you strength and the power to rule."

Elijah stands and holds out his arms as the high priest approaches and stretches up to pour the blood over his head, his shoulders and chest. He closes his mouth and eyes, waiting until it stops dripping down his forehead before opening them. He then places the bowl back on the altar and reaches to his side, where a priest sweeps forward, holding the king's crown.

It is placed on Elijah's head, seated on his crown and the priest keeps it in his hands for a second to ensure it is placed right before he steps back and kneels.

"My King."

Elijah turns to face his nobility and they kneel, bowing their heads down and he is nearly overwhelmed with his power. He lowers his arms and they rise back to their feet.

Niklaus waits for a full minute before he moves forward, into the aisle, with the cloak still folded over his arm, he bows before him,

"I, Niklaus Erik James Lothbrok, swear allegiance to you, King Elijah, to your heirs and successors, as long as I shall live."

A manservant comes forward, holding a pillow on which the sovereign ring sits, shining in the light and Niklaus takes the pillow, holding it up towards Elijah who slides the ring onto his finger, the blood making it slip on even easier.

Niklaus takes his hand and kisses the ring, before standing and moving behind him to clasp the cloak back around his shoulders.

Each of his siblings step forward, in order of their place in the succession and his half-siblings follow after Henrik.

Then Katerina comes forward. Had she already been his queen she would have been first to make the pledge of allegiance but as his fiancée, has to follow after his immediate family.

She steps forward with a smile on her face and every bit aware that the eyes of the world are on them. When she reaches him she hesitates and he sees a rebellious glint in her eyes.

Lovingly, he holds out his hands and she takes them, letting him draw her forward and he lowers his head, kissing her chastely on the lips, when she leans back he sees that some of the blood has stained the corner of her mouth. She laces their fingers together and takes their left hands, holding them up and pressing them to his heart, over the brooch she had gifted him.

"I, Katerina Maria of house Petrova, swear allegiance to you, King Elijah, as my king and as your future Queen, I pledge my loyalty and life to you and you alone."

When she steps back she gives an exaggeratedly graceful curtsy, sweeping her skirts wide in a very image of propriety, as if they hadn't just flaunted millennia of tradition together. He grins and bows his head, winking at her as she turns and steps to the side to join his family.

Her father follows in her footsteps with a disapproving look in his eye but kneels, his knees cracking with age and gives the allegiance without incident, as does her family in quick succession, followed by the Salvatore's, Stefan handing him his knives and Nadia approaching after her mother.

She has clearly practiced the pledge and when she kisses his ring, he chucks her under the chin,

"Thank-you." he mouths to her and she beams before walking towards her grandfather.

It takes an hour and a half for the nobility to take the oath and Elijah has to wonder whether they should have sanitized the ring between kisses, or whether half his court his going to have mono in a week or so.

When the ceremony is complete, he leads the way to the doors of the Temple, waiting for the Master of Ceremonies to announce him before stepping out to face the world.

* * *

The roar of the crowd is almost like a physical blast that hits him as he emerges into the sunlight and fresh air. The carriages have been taken away, after all, it is only a short walk across the square to the Palace where the celebrations shall take place.

He lifts a hand, waving in acknowledgement and the screams get louder, they are chanting his name, and he smiles, ignoring the blood drying on his face and clothes as he walks through the path created and held for him by the barricades. Behind him, his siblings fan out, walking behind him in triangle formation and Katerina walks with her family. He looks over his shoulder as she goes to speak to a child in the crowd, being held up by her older sister and then moves away with her head held high and a proud smile on her face, she reaches his side and he offers her his hand, which she takes with only a moment of hesitation- it is sticky with blood.

The walk to the Palace seems to take no time at all and when the doors close behind him, with most of the cameras on the other side, Aiden comes forward immediately,

"Your Majesty, we have a clean suit waiting."

He smirks and holds out his arms, "Let me hug you in gratitude," he teases the man, laughing when he literally jumps backward.

"Go the celebration," he tells him, "I shan't need anyone to help me dress."

He turns on his heel and climbs the stairs to the private apartments as the Court and visiting world dignitaries begin filtering out to the throne room where champagne and hors d'oeuvres will be served before the formal dinner and ball. Ansel quietly follows him, moving so silently that doesn't even notice him until he steps forward and clears his throat, "Majesty." he murmurs and Elijah jumps, "Are you trying to scare me?"

Ansel shakes his head, "No, I just wished to remind you that your things have been moved to the King's rooms."

Elijah blinks and realizes that out of sheer habit he'd headed to his old suite and grimaces, spinning on his heel and taking the corridor that led to his new chambers.

He strides through the sitting room, receiving room, throne room, antechamber and to the bedroom as quickly as possible, surprising a few servants who immediately make themselves scarce and close the doors behind him. He looks down for a moment, takes a breath and then brings himself to face the bed where his father had slept for so many years.

But it is no longer the same bed.

The curtains are gone and the frame has been changed, the sheets have been stripped and when he moves forward he sees that the mattress is so new it still has its tag and there are folded duvet covers of different design set out with a note atop them,

'_Your Majesty, _

_Lady Petrova informed me of your wish for new bedding, please choose from the selection and the changes will be made._

_Your humble servant,_

_Lorenzo Salvatore,_

_Master of the Household,_

_Kattegat Palace.'_

He drops the note with a lopsided smile on his face and studies the choices in front of him before settling on the black cover with silver leaves embroidery and attaching the note to it. He steps into his dressing room, strips, leaves his clothes on the floor and pads to the bathroom.

The bath has already been filled when he gets there and the water is still quite warm, with his toiletries sitting on a chair awaiting him. He sinks into the steaming water gratefully and submerges himself, running his fingers over his skin and through his hair until the water is discolored with the blood and he rises again.

To find that he has company.

Katerina is standing by the chair, watching him avidly, her shoulders visibly rising with each breath she takes and he can't take his eyes off her.

"My King." She murmurs, licking her lips and he mirrors the motion,

"My Queen."

"_Elijah_," she sobs and darts forward, falling to her knees as he leans out of the bathtub and their mouths fuse together in a passionate kiss, his hands grabbing her dress and searching blindly for the zipper or clasp or buttons as the water laps over the edge and soaks it through.

Her hands are everywhere, his shoulders, his hair, his back and chest, and she pushes forward when her knee slips and he has to catch her so she doesn't fall and lose several teeth on the porcelain rim.

"Up," he orders and stands, making sure of his own footing before grabbing his towel and throwing it on the ground for him to walk on.

She cautiously stands and hurries into the dressing room, turning her back to the mirror and looking over her shoulder, reaching for the zipper. He is by her side in an instant, his feet loud on the wooden floor before they are muffled by the old carpeting. He takes the zip in hand and draws it down, to her lower back before he pushes the dress out of the way. She isn't wearing a bra but plastic covers which she peels off and tosses onto the counter and he finds himself hard imagining her not having worn a bra during the coronation. She spins back towards him and steps into his embrace, kissing his lips as she rakes her nails down his chest, pressing her lips over his heart. He puts his hands on her waist and she murmurs in protest,

"Touch me with your fingers," she orders, "Feel how wet I am!"

She's wearing white silk panties and when he slips two fingers in, he smirks at finding the silk soaked through, he pushes his fingers into her and she moans in delight and arches up onto her toes before sinking down again, clinging to his shoulders as she rides them.

"Elijah," she moans, kissing him fiercely, possessively, "Hmmmm…yes."

She gasps as he curls his fingers, and takes her right breast in hand, squeezing it and pinching the nipple and she trembles against him, her eyes fluttering shut as she bites her lip.

When she comes he uses his fingers to draw her forward, against him, pressing his erection against her stomach and teasing her by lowering his lips to hers and pulling away at the last second.

She chuckles and grabs his wrist, drawing it out and giving the newly washed signet ring an open kiss,

"I should pledge allegiance to my king," she whispers, putting her hands on his hips and turning him around, pushing him towards the velvet couch, sitting him down and sinking to her knees.

"This is how it's done right?" she teases in a sultry voice before licking the tip of his penis and taking it into her mouth.

And Elijah could only groan and fumble blindly for her hand, lacing their fingers together and squeezing while marveling at his beautiful fiancé.

Looking down at her, her beautiful curls and the tiara still in her hair, he finds himself remembering how she'd been at the beginning of their relationship. She'd been a young virgin then, nervous and eager to please and prove herself but clumsy in his arms. Now, she was confident and unafraid to ask for what she wanted, and seeing her as a sexually confident woman was amazing.

She hollows her cheeks and glances up at him and that image alone is close to undoing him, so he reaches down and strokes her cheek, drawing her back until she releases him.

He bends down and grabs her under the armpits and she climbs up onto the couch, straddling his lap, and kissing him before he lays her down across the velvet and shifts onto his elbows, hovering above her, with one foot on the marble floor. He stares into her eyes and she nods, licking her lips and hoisting her legs up, locking them around his waist before she reaches down to guide him inside of her.

He enters slowly and gently, as he had always done, and when he's at the hilt they both close their eyes and moan at the sensation,

"Move." she whimpers and he smirks, stealing a kiss from her swollen lips.

"As you wish."

He gives a quick, hard thrust, testing her response and when she raises her hips to meet his, he takes that as permission to set the pace. Her hands grip his arms as he moves above her and she murmurs sweet nothings under her breath to him, encouraging him, moaning his name, her thumbs stroking his skin tenderly as he seeks her release.

Suddenly she swears and grips him, pulling him down on top of her and burying her face in his neck.

"Did I hurt you?" he asks worried and she shakes her head, "No…keep going, quick, I'm close!"

Her feet are drumming against his thighs and he readily obeys her, thrusting deep until her walls clench and she gasps, tilting her head back and gripping his arms tightly as she climaxes.

He finds himself coming almost the same second and groans as he finishes inside her, their sweaty bodies sliding against each other and he has to lift his foot off the floor and onto the couch so he doesn't fall off the small seat.

Katerina chuckles in his ear, "Whoops, guess I can't wear white on our wedding day."

He laughs and lazily lifts his head to kiss her, "It'll be our secret." He promises and shifts down to rest his head on her right breast, closing his eyes and listening to her breathing,

"I didn't hurt you did I?" he asks concerned as she begins playing with his hair,

"No, I'd have stopped you if you did." She promises, "Why?"

"You didn't used to swear when we were…_well_…"

She giggles and shifts slightly, spreading her legs so that he's lying between them,

"I'd forgot how good, how strong an orgasm can be when it doesn't come at the end of a wand, especially when you're with someone you're connected with."

He allows himself a proud smile and turns his head to kiss her nipple, "Good."

Elijah feels himself beginning to drift off and Katerina tugs on his hair,

"Rise, my king," she beckons, "Your duty awaits."

He jokingly looks down at his penis, "Another five minutes, Katerina."

She clicks her tongue and begins to sit up, leaving him lying on her thigh, "I'm going to run the bath."

She gets off the couch and pads to the mirror, leaning in to examine her make-up and she pulls a face when she sees the tiara tangled in her hair, meanwhile, he rolls onto his back and stretches. "Let's go to bed, try out that new mattress."

She raises her eyebrows, looking at him in the mirror, "And what should we tell the Court and all the visiting dignitaries?"

He shrugs, "That you're practicing your queenly duties?"

She rolls her eyes, "Nice try. Up! Go call Aiden and tell him to bring me a change of clothes, actually, we should both change, make it look like a fashion statement rather than me doing a walk of shame."

He reluctantly pulls himself up into a sitting position, rubbing his hands over his face,

"We could stay here until it's time for the ball?" he tries, "Claim I was resting or we were seeing to matters of state?"

She laughs, and begins rifling through his drawers, "Don't be an idiot, it's your coronation day. You should be seen dancing until dawn, especially because of that documentary crew Rose allowed into the palace."

He's watching her and suddenly she doesn't seem like his fiancé, his love Katerina, but a queen, concerned with appearances and opinions more than her love for him.

"'Let's go out into the crowds." He suggests spontaneously and she drops the brush in her hand,

"_No!_" she bursts out and he stares at her until she explains herself,

"Setting aside the fact that Ansel would have three different heart attacks and my father would have to spend the night following him around with a stethoscope, do you know how dangerous it would be? One idiot with a knife or a gun, or someone causes a panic and a stampede or…" she waves her hands helplessly,

"Elijah, you're the king now, you can't take the same risks you did when you were only the prince."

"Why not?" he demands with a shrug, "The people love me, they love us and if there is a maniac with a gun…well, there's another four Lothbroks to take my place, really, the only person to lose out would be you."

She glares and picks up the hairbrush as if she wants to throw it at him,

"Don't _ever_ joke about that! I've already lost enough just getting to this point, I'm not going to lose anything more just because you're being an idiot!"

Her harsh tone, her raw voice stuns him and he opens his mouth instinctively to apologize but she's turning away,

"I'm going to bathe, when you call Aiden, ask him to also fetch my make-up, if I don't see you downstairs, I'll see you at the ball tonight."

She strides into the bathroom and though there's no door he still senses something slamming closed between them, leaving him sitting on the velvet couch in the chilly room with their juices drying on his cock and thighs.

He feels alone.

* * *

A/N- Well, at least I gave you smut.


	15. Chapter 15- Katherine

A/N- I'm making up for how long it's been with an extra long chapter.

* * *

_Flashback_

_It was officially the last day of Summer. _

_After today, any warm days would be attributed to an unseasonably hot autumn. _

_This was why the beach two kilometers from Ensamhet Castle, nobility and A-list celebrities were currently dotted along the sand, draped on uber-expensive towels and wearing swimsuits and sunglasses more suitable for hotel pools than anywhere that contained dirt and waves. _

_The last day of summer had been celebrated by the royal family at the beach for one hundred years, followed by a small, informal party at the castle before preparations began for the Autumn court. _

_Of course, for the royal court, a small party was any guest list that didn't break into three digits and informal only meant that there was no precedence when the royal family entered the room and the servants didn't have to wear full livery. _

_Still, it was a beautiful day and Elijah was determined to enjoy it._

_His siblings had already left the castle an hour ago, Klaus and Kol having thrown themselves into the ocean, Henrik was exploring the caves and Rebekah was sunning herself. _

_He had taken his time leaving, having been caught up in a book and by the time he reached the beach along the private path, his phone had already been vibrating with messages from his girlfriend. _

_Or at least, the girl that the papers and paparazzi were calling his girlfriend. _

_Teen model and tv star, Tatia. She was wearing a tiny bikini with a silk dress over the top, she slipped her arm through his as he walked past and began chatting inanely about her work and parties she'd been to. Elijah liked her because she was fun but that day, he focuses more on the people scattered along the beach, which had been semi-privatized by the court for the day, tourists being shooed away by security and locals glaring self-righteously as they had to move further down the beach to catch any waves without risk of crowning movie stars or duchesses with their surfboard. _

_Elijah sees the spot his siblings had claimed, their monogrammed towels- gifts that they'd kept just so they could keep track of which towel belonged to whom- were in the best position and somehow, despite the casualness of being on a beach, courtiers had still managed to arrange their own places nearby in according to precedence. _

_He rolls his eyes and catches a stunning woman up ahead. An older woman wearing a red swimsuit and standing at the shoreline, letting the waves run over her feet as she bent to pick up and examine the sea shells. _

_Her hair flows over her back, nearly at her waist and he realizes that it's Miranda Petrova. She smiles and inclines her head gracefully as he approaches, returning her eyes to the ocean and he follows her gaze to see two surfers trying to catch a wave, _

"_Thinking of taking up surfing?" he inquires and she laughs, _

"_Not at my advanced age," She demurs, although she's barely touching forty, "No, I'm simply keeping an eye on my daughters." _

_Elijah focuses and sees that the two girls on the boards are nearly identical, _

"_I didn't realize there was much surfing done in Rose Seng." He jests and she laughs, "There isn't, the girls met some surfer boys this morning and received a crash course and a garage where they could buy their new boards." _

_Miranda makes a face, her disdain for these now absent surfers quite clear, "Fortunately, Alexander is nearby and fully qualified to perform CPR and I received lifesaving training in Antibes, many years ago," _

_She turns to him with a winning smile, "Forgive me your highness, but this might be the only incident where you won't be given priority." _

_He laughs and her attention is diverted as one of her daughters waves her hand and calls to her, he looks for his own mother and sees her sitting on a lounge chair under a marquee, surrounded by her friends, drinking champagne and nibbling on caviar blinis. _

_He continues walking along the beach as Tatia leaves him to settle down beside Rebekah and rub coconut oil along her bare legs, attracting admiring glances from those nearby. He walks until he hits the rocks and cliff face, glancing up to see if he can spot Henrik before turning back._

_He's enjoying the peace and the roaring of the waves and wind in his ears but when the laughter intrudes on his serenity, he's not entirely remorseful. _

_The surfboards reach the shore before their new owners and the girls take their time emerging from the waves, looking less like Venus and more like drowning victims. Their hair hanging over their faces, sand sticking to their bodies and bruises already forming on their arms and legs, _

_He puts his hands in the pockets of his black board shorts and waits to be spotted. The first Petrova to make it to land is wearing a red halter bikini, patterned bottoms and a Hawaiian lei around her neck that Elijah had no idea were even available considering how out of place they were in a country that saw blisteringly cold winters and could barely subscribe to anything the Hawaiian culture was famous for. She makes it to the sand just to fall down again laughing, clutching her stomach while she tries to get her hair away from her face and when she sees him, her startled features tell him that this is Elena. _

"_Hello," he greets kindly, "Are you alright?" _

_She nods, trying to catch her breath but they're interrupted by a shout of annoyance. They turn to see Katerina- wearing a black one piece with a silver necklace built in- limping to shore, her face pained and Elijah walks straight into the waves, concern overtaking him as she begins to lose her balance. She topples into him and he catches her, "Are you alright?" _

_She shakes her head, "I cut my foot on something and it really stings!" _

_He drapes her arm over his shoulders and helps her back to where everyone was gathered, Elena hurrying off to find her father and seeing that the Petrova's were at the other end of the beach, he leads her to his towel, sitting her down, crouching before her and lifting her foot to see a gash across her big toe._

"_Ah," he murmurs sympathetically, "How did that happen?" _

_She shrugs, "I got thrown by a wave and deliberately sank to the bottom, as the surfer had taught me so I could find my way up again, but when I hit the sand, I kicked a sharp rock."_

_She sees that she's bleeding onto his thumb and tries to tug her foot away but he sets it on his knee, keeping it elevated as Alexander comes over with the first aid kit. _

_Elijah watches as the man examines his daughter's foot, _

_"We should probably amputate, just to be careful," he announces and Katerina rolls her eyes, even as her lips quirk up, _

_"You'll be fine, kitten," He assures her, splashing a bit of antiseptic across the wound and sticking a band-aid on it._

_He pats her hand and leaves, heading back to his towel and picking up a medical journal and Elijah offers a bottle of water to Katerina, _

"_Thanks for taking care of me." she murmurs, sipping on the water and sitting up with a faint blush on her cheeks from the sun, he shrugs, _

_"What're friends for?" _

_She grins and begins to tell him about surfing when a shadow falls across them both and a hand strokes the back of his neck, "Darling, who's your friend?" _

_He looks over his shoulder to see Tatia standing there, her fingers now straying up to his hair, _

_He introduces the two of them and Tatia gives the thin smile she's famous for before declaring herself absolutely famished and pulling him away to the picnic his mother's friends had set up._

"_You're welcome." she announces, handing him a glass of champagne which he takes automatically, _

"_For what?" he asks in confusion, sipping slowly at the alcohol and Tatia laughs, _

"_For rescuing you from your little groupie." she explains, putting a hand on his arm and throwing her hair back, "Katerina is my friend." he argues, remembering that he had told her this, that he had read her a few of the jokes she had texted him. _

_Tatia gives him such a patronizing look that his ego starts to burn, "Darling please, that girl was blushing the entire time you were with her, she shook when you touched her and kept trying to fix her soaked hair," she drains her champagne in one gulp and holds her hand out for a passing servant to refill, "She clearly has a crush on you." _

_Elijah blinks in surprise, "Do you think so?" _

_Tatia rolls her eyes again, "She can't stop staring at you." _

_He turns his head to see Katerina watching him and she turns her own head quickly, focusing on the rapidly approaching Kol and Niklaus instead. _

"_So sweet." Tatia snorts, taking another glass of champagne and Elijah gives her a barely attentive smile before heading to find his private secretary. _

_He quietly asks him to inform Tatia's agent that as Elijah would be returning to university for the winter semester, he had to focus on his studies and wouldn't have time to be attending parties and galas with her anymore. He knew it was callous but Tatia had only ever been after the attention and fame that came with dating the Crown Prince._

_That afternoon, when the sun reached its peak and everyone retired indoors for the castle party, Elijah deliberately lingered on the outer steps as everyone went inside, waiting for Katerina whose limp had slowed her down. _

"_Would you like a hand?" he offers, descending the sandstone steps as she pauses on the grass to catch her breath, _

_"Oh," she swallows nervously and her hand flutters to her drying hair, _

"_No, uh…I should be fine."_

"_Come," he protests, reaching her side, "These steps are perilous enough for those on two feet, I don't want you falling and hurting yourself." _

_He takes her hand and feels it tremble as he drapes it over his shoulder and when he puts his hand on her back, she shifts slightly and takes a sharp breath when he slides it down to her waist. _

_Considering Alexander would be the only Petrova who weighed over sixty kilos, Elijah could have got Katerina up to the door in barely two minutes. _

_He takes five, making sure she has a firm footing on every step before moving on and when his fingers stray from her swimsuit to bare skin, he watches how her eyelids flutter and she bites her lip. _

_He thinks about how her lips would taste of salt with a hint of sugar from the soda she'd had earlier, he thinks about how she would have to stretch up on her bare toes to kiss him and he barely notices when they've reached the top of the stairs. _

_He releases her because he can hear Kol calling his name but for the rest of the day, all he can focus on is the knowledge that Katerina Petrova had a crush on him. _

_And he can't seem to stop smiling. _

* * *

Miranda Petrova paced slowly through the rooms, deliberately turning her attention to any detail she might have missed previously.

The wainscoting, the silver curtain holders, the exact shade of blue on the ceiling decorations of the bathroom.

Miranda had always thought that living in a set of rooms where everything was in one primary color would be maddening, but the sheer finery of the Blue Rooms, Katerina's current living quarters, more than made up for the lack of other colors.

She sits down in the interior apartment where everything is more turquoise than royal blue and, in a rare moment of naughtiness, she slips off her right heel and runs her stocking clad foot on the carpet, enjoying the sensation under her toes.

Such _luxury_.

And the Queen's rooms were even better, covered in gold and with a cabinet of royal jewels being kept in the bedroom to be used at the Queen's discretion.

Long strands of pearls. Diamonds. Emeralds. Rubies. Platinum, Silver and Gold.

Miranda's mouth waters greedily at the thought.

Her daughter would be Queen.

She would be mother to the Queen, one of the most important women in the land.

Soon.

She hears someone approaching and quickly slides her foot back into her shoe, standing up and smoothing down her gown, ready to start lecturing her daughter the moment she walked through those doors.

Katerina had shortly disappeared after the court had returned from the coronation and the ball began in an hour. She hadn't left nearly enough time to get ready and Miranda had to resist the urge to smack the girl for her stupidity. The eyes and cameras of the world would be upon her tonight and she was waiting until the very last moment to prepare herself.

However, the woman who walked through the door wasn't her daughter.

"Hello," Miranda greeted, her tone polite but cold, "Might I help you?"

The woman is wearing a suit and not an overly expensive one either, her hair is loose but not treated to weekly salon appointments and her make-up was done herself.

She is startled to see Miranda but quickly flashes her lanyard at her, "Hi, Andie Star, I'm with the crew covering the coronation," she looks around the room,

"I'm looking for Katerina?"

The Honorable Lady Katerina Petrova.

Miranda runs her daughter's title in her head, annoyed by the casual manner in which this woman refers to her daughter,

"I'm afraid that she isn't here at the moment," she waves her hand to the otherwise empty room, "Perhaps if you leave a card?"

"Actually," Andie comes forward on heels that were foolishly high considering how much of the palace she had probably already traversed,

"If you have a minute, I would love to talk to you as well."

Miranda raises a perfectly threaded eyebrow, "_Oh?_"

"Yes," Andie clears her throat, "As her mother, I would love to ask you some questions."

Miranda pretends to check the time on the Madame de Pompadour clock on the mantle, when in reality she was simply drawing Ms. Star's attention to the exquisite piece,

"Well, I have a minute or two."

"Excellent."

Andie sits without ceremony or permission on one of the armchairs and draws a notepad and pen out of her three seasons old Louis Vuitton handbag, before turning on the recording device on her phone,

"So," she begins, "Could you describe your daughter to me?"

Miranda gives a polite laugh, "Of course, but I'm her mother, Katerina and Elena are my entire world and I love them with all my heart. To me, Katerina is perfect. She is beautiful, intelligent, warm, friendly and has an infectious laugh, most importantly, she is determined to make the world a better place."

Andie notes this down and when her smile grows even more friendly, Miranda immediately goes on alert. This isn't her first interview by any stretch of the imagination. How many times in her twenties had reporters tried to lure her into admitting something about herself that could be used against her later?

"And how did you feel when it was revealed that she was secretly dating the Crown Prince?"

Furious.

_Mortified_ by her daughter's stupidity.

She laughs again, "The only people in the world who thought Elijah and my daughter were 'secretly dating'," she raises her fingers to use air-quotes,

"Were Elijah and my daughter, to the rest of us their attraction to one another was as obvious as the sun in the sky."

Andie blinks in surprise as Miranda leans back in her seat, forcing herself to remain casual,

"As I understand, they began sneaking around when Katerina was still promised to Prince Kol."

Yes. Her daughter had jeopardized her entire future in those six months but Miranda would go to her grave before admitting that.

"My daughter was betrothed to Prince Kol," she confirms, "However, that betrothal had always been intended to be considerate of the feelings and desires of both parties, if at any point either of them wished to be free of the commitment, after all, this is the twenty-first century. As it became very clear, very quickly that my daughter and Elijah were falling deeply in love, the late Queen and I discussed breaking off the engagement, however, as mothers," she puts a hand to her heart,  
"We had been waiting for Elijah and Katerina to come to us, hands clasped and announce that they were together…"

"But they didn't," Andie interrupts, "Instead, they snuck around until they were caught by the late King in a closet."

Miranda's smile freezes on her face and she has to mentally remind herself to keep breathing.

Whilst that scandal had been well-known to the royal family and inner-circle of courtiers, by sheer miracle it had never been known to the greater public, until now.

She shrugs a delicate shoulder, "Young love," she sighs, "It demands heartfelt declarations, love notes, hidden meetings and secret rendezvous."

She waves her hand, her diamond bracelet sliding up and down her wrist, "Elijah and Katerina must have hidden in every quiet spot Kattegat Palace holds so they could kiss each other, the two of them loved the secrecy even as they failed to realize that when they snuck away, everyone knew where they were going. That night, when they were 'caught'," Again, she uses air-quotes,

"It was simply because the late King was tired of them unnecessarily sneaking off every hour, especially when we had all gathered together for a dinner. When we found them, they were trading love tokens, nothing that needed to take place in a closet, even one with the moonlight cascading through the window and reflecting of the fine silver plates."

Andie pouts in disappointment, "Really? Is that _all_ they were doing?"

Yes.

Thankfully, that one time they'd been stupid enough to be caught, her daughter had been fully clothed, although the Crown Prince's shirt had been unbuttoned to the waist, but as Katerina's birthday present had been hanging around his neck, it had been clear that they hadn't intended to fornicate on the dusty floor.

She gives the woman a slightly frosty smile, "I'm afraid that one thing Elijah didn't inherit from his ancestors is their depravity. Even the love letters he and my daughter exchanged were the very image of propriety, despite the depths of their love for one another, they were determined to act honorably."

"Yet, they were engaged when Katerina was only seventeen," Andie points out, clearly aware that she's caught onto something, "Awfully young isn't it?"

Miranda nods in agreement, "It was awfully young and the King, Queen, Alexander and I did have our reservations but they were so clearly in love and devoted to one another that we didn't have the heart to refuse them, still, Esther did insist that they weren't to be married until after my daughter had finished her studies. She wanted them to have time to be absolutely certain that they were each other's future and that's what they had. Now," she glances around,

"Five years have passed and the only thing that has changed is they're actively planning their wedding."

Andie is about to ask another question when they're interrupted by Aiden walking into the room and both women look up,

"What are you doing here?" Miranda asks him, "Is the king looking for me?"

Aiden clears his throat and glances to her daughter's bedroom nervously, "Uh, I need to get Lady Katerina's dress for the ball," he explains, "Is it through there?"

Miranda nods but senses an upcoming triumph and jumps on it,

"Where is my daughter?" she asks and notes with satisfaction the blush rising on his cheeks, "Uh…she's with the Cr-the King in his rooms, they're…uh…getting ready for the ball."

That was probably the best thing that could have been said.

Miranda puts a weary expression on her face, "Young love," she repeats, "Regardless of position, it demands to be felt."

She knows the moment that she's finished speaking that she's given Ms. Star the quote that will influence the context of the entire segment.

At least one Petrova female cared about advancing their family.

* * *

When the clock strikes eight times, Ansel Wolfsbane can finally bring himself to relax.

Jackson- his second-in-command- would be taking over for the next forty-eight hours, when the King would be celebrating at the ball and then resting the day after before settling down to begin his duties.

And he, Ansel, would be attending the ball as a guest.

He checks his appearance in the mirror, making sure that every part of the white tie tuxedo in place before he leaves the bedroom he had been assigned since the late King's death.

He didn't like sleeping in the palace, missing the privacy, peace and quiet of his home in the suburbs, however, during the last few months, it had been easier to crash at the palace than to waste time on the commute back and forth.

He strides through the halls, from the private rooms into the more public areas of the palace and hears the sounds of chatter and laughter up ahead. He melds easily into the crowds of ballgowns and tuxedos, keeping his movements precise and considerate of the servants who were gliding through the room holding drink platters aloft.

The chandeliers were blazing with light, the gilt framed mirrors shone, and the plush red carpets were rich and soft underfoot. He returns the smile of one of the courtiers and then reaches out instinctively as the Prince Henrik races past him,

"Where are you going?" he demands, falling back easily into his role,

"To the eastern balcony!" Prince Henrik blurts excitedly, "I wanna see the crowds!"

Alone? On the balcony, closest to the gates and therefore the crowds? Absolutely not.

"You can go to the window but not outside," Ansel tells him, "It's cold out there and then come back before the dancing starts."

Prince Henrik rolls his eyes but when he darts off, Ansel locates one of his men and motions for him to follow the young boy.

He makes his way to the edge of the room, by the grand double staircases leading to the ballroom and even without intending to, he scans the crowd for weapons or any threats.

He holds his hands behind his back and watches the nobility, politicians, diplomats and celebrities mingle and drink, nibble on the fine delicacies offered and keep an eye out for the royal family.

He sees a model stalk across the room and recognizes Miranda Petrova, with a placid smile on her face but murder in her eyes.

He wonders if Katerina having gone into King Elijah's rooms was the reason they were running late for the ball?

He smirks at the idea and is about to locate Aiden and have him send champagne and food up to the King's rooms and cause further delay when he sees a flash of blonde hair and is distracted.

At first thought, he swore that he had seen the Princess Rebekah, but he realizes quickly that she would never wear the blue gown currently draping the beautiful girl making her way cautiously through the room.

Ms. Forbes stretches up on her toes, clearly looking for a familiar face and Ansel raises his chin slightly, catching her attention and she begins navigating her way towards him with clear relief written over her pretty features.

Ansel isn't one for a great deal of small talk so he wonders whom he can introduce Caroline to when he sees that he wasn't the only one who had noticed her arrival.

Niklaus didn't look like he had taken a breath in the last thirty seconds, having gone so still that Ansel momentarily panics that he'd been shot. But rather than keel over with blood spreading across his white shirt, he wets his lips and makes a path straight through the courtiers, nearly cutting Caroline off before she can even reach Ansel.

Because he worries that the first thing to come out of Niklaus' mouth will be foolish, he makes sure to speak first,

"You look lovely tonight, Caroline," he compliments smoothly, "Blue is a nice colour on you."

She smiles graciously and turns to Niklaus as he appears at her side, tucking his phone into his pocket.

"Thanks for sending me a dress from the royal wardrobe," Caroline says to him,

"I didn't realize that we'd need so many outfits for today."

The Royal _Wardrobe_?!

Ansel's knowledge of fashion history was a little weak, but the royal wardrobe had been decommissioned during Queen Freida's lifetime. When tailors had gone out of fashion- for lack of a better term- and fashion houses had come into vogue, the idea of rooms filled with material to be made into outfits for the royal family had been declared expensive and unnecessary.

Now, the only use for the wardrobe was keeping the ceremonial outfits necessary for important occasions and try as he might, Ansel couldn't remember the blue ballgown with hints of silver having been worn by Esther or Rebekah.

"It was no trouble," Niklaus covers hastily, shooting an unnecessary pleading glance to Ansel who feels slightly offended that he was considered a threat to this ruse.

"By the way, Katty wanted to meet us upstairs quickly."

Ansel sees Caroline's momentary confusion before she places the nickname and is swept away by Niklaus, his hand pressing on her lower back in a tentative manner.

He watches the two of them disappear and notes that he's not the only one doing so.

Countess Genevieve is staring at Ms. Forbes with undisguised hatred and a hint of calculation that makes Ansel want to warn her off.

The doors to the ball room open, silently signaling for everyone to enter and Ansel quickly checks to ensure that Henrik back inside before the string quartet in the upstairs balcony begins.

When the dance floor remains empty, he looks about and notes for the first time that King Elijah has failed to arrive to his own party.

He clenches his hand into a fist in concern before reminding himself that if something were wrong, Aiden would have notified him, besides his security team would be keeping an eye on the royal apartments.

He forces himself to relax and surveys the room, spotting the Princess Rebekah beside her two half-siblings.

The last ball the princess had attended, she had been wearing a pink frilly gown that had made Ansel think of an icing covered cupcake. Now, she was wearing a tight green dress that didn't look suitable for breathing or excessive movement. Her hair was dead straight and she had the haughtiest look on her face.

Mr. and Ms. Black's excessive love of privilege and entitlement must be rubbing off on her.

With the idea of rescuing her in mind, Ansel strides across the room and bows respectfully to her,

"Your highness," he greets, "You look beautiful tonight."

The flattered smile on her face is the same one she'd worn when he'd given her this compliment at her first ball when she was twelve years old. He was the first grown-up man she had ever danced with outside of her lessons and without meaning to, a tradition had been set whereby his first dance of the night was always with her.

He holds his hand out now as she lifts a corner of her skirt but Mr. Black clears his throat pointedly, catching their attention before speaking.

"Princesses don't dance with servants."

_Servant?_

Ansel couldn't remember the last time he'd been called that by anyone who wasn't the late King Mikael. He was so surprised that he froze, no response coming to his mind.

The declaration had been loud enough that a few people nearby had stopped talking and were trying to watch the scene unfold out of the corner of their eyes.

Ansel's hand is still held out, palm up for the princess whose own hand was hanging in the air but instead of sliding it into his calloused palm as she had done more times than he could count, she withdraws and puts it on her hip.

"Princesses don't dance with servants." She parrots, looking over his shoulder.

He understands the dismissal and steps backward, managing at the last second to click his heels together before he bows sharply and turns away. The crowd doesn't part for him respectfully, but fearfully, as if he was a leper contagious by touch alone.

More than anything, the people around him were quick to detect a snub and a fall in favor. They were studying him now with blatant appraisal, trying to determine just how bad his situation was.

Except one steps into his path, cutting off the escape he had planned on making and holds out her hand,

"May I have this dance?" Katerina speaks loudly, pointedly, barely framing the request as a question, her body already twisted slightly to the dance floor and Ansel automatically takes her hand.

The waltz is an easy one and with only three couples dancing, the two of them glide about the floor with ease,

"Thank-you." Ansel murmurs, keeping his voice low and his lips restrained so that nobody could eavesdrop or read his lips.

If Katerina hadn't been dancing, he suspects that she might have shrugged, "Anyone who wants to come after you can come through me first."

He hums and spins her around for the chance to glimpse over her head to where the princess was still standing with her siblings, he finds her glaring at them both and pointedly turns his back on her in a way he had never done before.

"How are you?" he asks his partner, "I know there was an incident in the square today."

Katerina quirked an eyebrow at his choice of words, "You mean when the teenage girl holding her little sister told me to go back to where I came from, or else and finished by calling me a gypsy whore?"

She pursed her lips before remembering they were being watched and gives him a winning smile,

"I've had a wonderful day!"

He ignores that lie and sees the fear set in the young woman's shoulders, making a note to have the situation investigated later. It wouldn't do to have the future queen frightened of the people, of the crowds that gathered to watch the royal family.

"I would give my life to see you safe," Ansel reminds her, "And more to see you happy."

The music fades away on the strings of a violin and Katerina steps back from his embrace, curtseying deeper than either of their stations permitted,

"You're the only one I would trust completely with either scenario." She replies before moving away in a swish of skirts.

He assumes that she's heading to Elijah's arms for the next dance so he's heading to a small, quiet corner where he can confer with Jackson before he instinctively checks over his shoulder and sees her in conversation with the young Mr. Salvatore and his fiancée.

Concern sets in and Ansel scans the crowd, not seeing the King anywhere.

Katerina had arrived without the king.

He stalks back over to her, nearly colliding with Ms. Bennett,

"Where is he?" he demands, barely remembering to keep his voice low and Katerina's shoulders drop, aware that she's in trouble with him.

"Outside," she admits, "With Klaus and Caroline, he didn't want to go in right away so I told them to go out into the gardens with him."

He's off-duty but that doesn't stop him cutting a path through the crowd, not bothering to feign casual indifference as he clatters down the stairs, past latecomers as he pulls his earpiece and comm. device from his shirt pocket,

"Does anyone have eyes on the King?" he asks, receiving a chorus of negative responses from his team.

He enters the gardens at a brisk pace and scans the immediate area, ignoring the smokers as he tries to figure out where the King and Prince would be.

Niklaus was attracted to Caroline, like as not he would want to show her the most picturesque part of the gardens, however, there was a quick chill setting in for the evening.

The gazebo on the edge of the winter garden was hidden from side of the palace by an ancient white oak tree with flowers creeping up the stone, dropping petals and leaves into the small space. It caught the moonlight and blocked out the morning sun. Many a time, his security team had stumbled upon sleeping lovers and been forced to send them home before they were caught by the gardeners.

Ansel hears soft laughter and comes upon Niklaus and Ms. Forbes hovering at the entrance to the gazebo, their heads bent together as they talked but this time, he doesn't feel guilty about intruding on their moment,

"Where is your brother?" he questions, looking about for any sign of the king and Niklaus' head shoots up, in surprise and with a flash of guilt in his eyes.

Guilt that causes Ansel's heart to drop into his stomach.

The gazebo had the added benefit of being very near the secret passageway that led from the Palace.

"He's the King," Niklaus tries to argue as Ansel turns away from him, "He can do what he wants."

"Sound off." Ansel roars into his speaker, disappointment turning into cold fury when he hears the king's security personnel reporting their numbers and locations across the frequency.

The King had snuck out of the palace without informing him, and onto the streets of the capital that were currently flooded with people.

"Go inside and find Katerina," he snaps at the prince, "Do whatever she tells you to try and hide the fact that his majesty is wandering about the streets without any protection whatsoever. If word gets out about this, there'll be panic and chaos."

Heads would roll over this.

* * *

Coronations weren't something that happened every day.

That was the point that her friends had made to drag her out of her apartment to the party the Board of Directors of the Symphony Hall had given permission to be hosted on the roof of the building.

Everyone who worked in the Hall had been invited, most of them not having even tried to find a spot along the procession route- people had been setting up there since dawn- and every restaurant, bar or café that had a view of the route had been booked out for months.

So, Gia had gone along and tried to pretend it was a regular party even as the flat screens were set up on the roof, the tech guys chatting excitedly to one another as they played with the wires and were threatened by the Primary Guest Conductor not to break anything.

It was a beautiful day and she sat in the sunlight with her coworkers, next to Gervais, a rather pretentious pianist who was furious over not having scored the gig playing at the coronation ball tonight and was trying to make himself feel better by mansplaining the monarchy to her.

If nothing else, it was interesting to hear about Elijah from another perspective.

"His first year will be the most important," Gervais begins, pausing to inhale on his e-cigarette, blowing the vapor out of the side of his mouth,

"It'll set the tone for the rest of his reign and let us know whether he's going to be progressive or just another king like his father and grandfather."

"He's already shown that he isn't," her friend Lana objects, "He dismissed his father's ministers and is appointing people based on merit, not nepotism."

"Well…yeah, but that was an easy one," Gervais counters, "That's…a token effort, coming to power and scrapping the most obvious form of corruption in your government? Any politician would have done that."

"Not if they didn't have to," Lana argues, "After all, it's not exactly like we can vote him out."

Gia winces the moment she says this and the faces of everyone in the immediate vicinity falls.

Gervais wasn't only pretentious but he was a pretentious champagne socialist, which meant that he argued for revolution, overthrow of the monarchy and the installation of a democracy as the first step on the road to a socialist utopia.

Not because he didn't love capitalism and the class structure but because so far, he had been unsuccessful in his attempts to be accepted into the upper echelons of Valhallan society. He had actually bragged that if he had been accepted to play at the ball he would have caught the eye of the king or some high-ranking courtier who would have recognized his talent and become his patron.

However, possibly because the manager is within ear shot, he doesn't launch into a spiteful attack against those born into privilege but instead, just shrugs,

"Maybe we can't vote him out yet, but it's the twenty-first century and we're well overdue for more meaningful elections that the ones we have in our counties. We should have an elected officials that meet directly with the King, besides…" he pauses to blow more vapor into the faces of those around him, "We have one thing that our parents didn't- social media- this King has to improve his act because, unlike his father, we can record his every act in public and expose any secret he has."

Gia tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and follows the crowd who head down to the entrance hall to watch the carriages pass through out the large windows.

The symphony hall had been renovated in the early seventies to protect the façade at the front of the building and they had extended the space with glass ceiling, walls and cobblestone floor. The sun beats down on them with only a few panes between them and the outside crowds as they stand waiting.

"See!" Lana points as a golden carriage approaches along the road, "That'll be the royal siblings, Kol, Rebekah, and Henrik."

Gia sees the blonde hair of the Princess Rebekah and remembers the night the girl had stood in her apartment and spoken to her with a haughty tone that hadn't disappeared even when she'd been asking for her help.

She hadn't spoken to her since that day but she had told her that she would contact her when the moment was right.

She had seen Elijah only a few times, not as regularly as she'd used to, which he'd promised her wasn't any fault on her part but because he was so busy these days. And being watched obsessively by his courtiers and those who were eager to find dirt on him. Those who didn't like the changes he was planning to make to the monarchy and were looking for ways to blackmail him.

She had been horrified but he'd assured her that it was being dealt with, one Giuseppe Salvatore who was more than able to handle the situation for him.

When she'd taken off his shirt and pants, she hadn't seen any marks on his skin and aside from the bags under his eyes, he looked healthy, just exhausted.

"Oh," Lana's voice brings her back into the moment, "I think that's his fiancée."

Katerina Petrova.

Gia had seen photos of her, had read the trashy magazines that had covered her repeatedly since she'd returned to Valhalla, even as she'd pretended not to care about her.

She was conventionally beautiful, intelligent, graceful and charming. According to the magazines anyway because Rebekah gave another version of the same woman- scheming, destructive, cruel and selfish.

And she's going to believe the girl who interacts with her every day over the magazines who will write whatever is going to sell the most copies.

Besides, considering how many beautiful women Elijah had been exposed to since he was a teenager, it would have taken more than a pretty face to be the one who ended up with the ring on her finger, she would have had to outlast all the competition and you couldn't do that just by being a sweetheart.

"What d'you think about her?" Gia finds herself asking her friend who shrugs,

"Her family is super nice."

Gia blinks in surprise, "You've met them?"

Lana nods, "Yeah, when I played first chair during Scheherazade, I met her parents and her father was really interested in the music, her mom is nice too," she shrugs again, "I'm sure we'll see her up close soon enough."

Gia clears her throat, thinking that having to meet Katerina Petrova personally would be mortifying for her and when she finds out that the King's carriage will be last in the procession, she heads upstairs under the pretext of getting another drink.

Lana is her closest friend in Valhalla and she's worried that she'd expose herself if she stood there when Elijah went past.

So, she drinks and chats with her friends, eats the sandwiches, chips and other stuff that was brought to the party, they lie in the glass atrium and let the sun warm them enough to lull them into a relaxing silence until night falls and they foolishly stagger into the crowds looking for a bar that wasn't stupidly overcrowded.

Lana, Sam and some of the other native Valhallan's decide that they all need to see Lothbrok square lit up and with the food stalls selling roasting meats and mulled wine, so Gia finds herself dragged along even though it's loud, she's tired and the press of bodies irritates her.

It's after ten and tomorrow was a work day, she just wants to be in bed, under her doona in her comfy pj's.

Instead, she finds herself covering her ears, "What's with the shouting?!" she demands, turning to Sam who is the tallest in the group, and he stands on his toes to try and see what was happening,

"They're shouting the king's name," he tells her unnecessarily before his eyes widen,

"_Shit_, he's in the _square_!"

Gia frowns and they're pushed forward in the momentum of the crowd, "Who?"

"The King!"

There are benches on the sidewalk in the square and Gia climbs up onto one of them, pulling Lana and Sam up with her and she follows the movement of the people, to the very center of the square, where like the eye of the storm, one man stood surrounded by cheering, shouting people.

Elijah.

He was right there.

Gia's heart stops and she watches him, startled that he was there.

She had known that Elijah could be surprisingly normal considering the life he had been born into, really down-to-earth and everything, but the idea that a king could just walk out of the palace and start talking to people was incomprehensible to her.

But that's what he's doing, he's standing there in a regular white shirt and suit pants, having his hands grabbed and shaken, being dragged into hugs and bending down to listen to people shouting in his ear. All while smiling brilliantly and with clear excitement.

Someone starts a chant that fills the square, which even without speaking the language properly, Gia can understand to mean, 'Long live the King'

The chanting is so loud that it's almost deafening, seeming to reach up to the sky and touch the stars as the square fills with more and more people, who crowd into the streets, waving their arms as they try to move forward to reach their king.

Gia looks around her and sees that even Gervais is there, chanting along with everyone else, just as much a fan as every last citizen in the square.

She hadn't really understood what Elijah meant to his people until now. She hadn't understood that they just supported him but really loved him, that they actively wanted him as their king and believed in him.

He wouldn't stand a chance of hearing her over the crowd but as she watches him, she finds herself imagining standing at his side and being that loved too.

* * *

_"Long live the King"_

_"Long live the King"_

The chanting can be heard from the ball room and the guests crowd into the windows and out onto the balcony as Katherine realizes that the charade is over.

Picking up her skirts, she slips from the room and hurries down the grand staircase, biting her lip and looking over her shoulder to make sure that she isn't being followed.

"Careful you don't lose a shoe, Katty,"

She gasps and nearly loses her footing on the plush red runner carpet, gripping the gilt banister as she glances over to see Kol standing on the floor below her,

"I would hate to have to rescue you from evil step-sisters." He continues, throwing back a glass of champagne and she figures that he's drunk,

"Cute," she drawls, descending the stairs, "Come with me."

"Where?" he asks, even as he follows her, nearly running into her when she spins back around to face him, reaching into his jacket pocket, she finds his phone and shoots a message to Klaus.

"To the Palace gates," she tells him, "Your brother is in the square."

The page opens the doors for her and servants are hurrying ahead to the entrance hall, clearly worried about the commotion taking place so close to their palace.

"_Finn_ is in the square?" Kol snorts, before comprehension dawns, "Wait…_Elijah_ is in the square?!"

She nods, touching her engagement ring nervously as the front doors open, the cold air blowing in and sending goosebumps up and down her arms,

"He is," she confirms, watching nervously as the security team quickly gathers in front of the gates, "Ansel is getting him now."

She hopes.

"_Fuck_," Kol gasps, "Shit…look at that crowd…if something goes wrong…if there's a stampede…"

"Don't!" Katherine snaps, interrupting him as sweat dampens her arm pits and her knees tremble, she wants to wrap her arms over her chest but can't look so casual and unladylike right now. She has to appear calm and collected, as if Elijah throwing himself into a crowd of people who could kill him in an instant was something she had known about the entire time and completely supported.

_"Long live the King!"_

_"Love live the King!"_

In a second that chant, could become "_Long live the Revolution!_"

She would lose _everything_.

She sees Ansel slipping out through the gate house, pushing his way through the crowd, unable to use a weapon or loud instrument of any kind lest he start a panic.

One of the security team is standing near her, and she hears over his communications device ten minutes later when Ansel finally gets to Elijah's side and begins herding him back towards the palace.

Except that the crowd is moving with him, following him and when the security team opens the gates, hordes of people push them open further and spill into the palace grounds, drunken, laughing people who are carried away by the events of the day.

Security is shouting at them, trying to get them back but there are too many and a silent alarm is sounded, many more guards rushing from the palace.

Katherine is frozen on the stairs, wanting to rush backwards into the ballroom, into the King's chambers but Elijah is still in the crowd.

Kol has a hand on her arm, "It's fine, Katty," he's saying, "It's fine."

He's recognized as the excited crowd grows in number, exhilarated to find themselves so close to the palace and not understanding that they are trespassing. People come forward to hug him and somewhere a flash of a camera goes off so Katherine instinctively stretches her lips upward, smiling and forcing herself down the steps, to say hello.

"This is so awesome!"

A woman screams this at her and she smiles, allowing herself to be pulled into a hug as a beer is splattered across her couture ballgown.

She is released and looks around frantically for Kol, seeing him being dragged into a group of men who have their arms across each other's shoulders and are singing a bar song. The golden glow of the entrance hall is so welcoming, and she begins climbing the stairs when a hand on her arm pulls her backwards and she stumbles down three steps, before being whirled around to face a red-nosed, red-cheeked drunk man, "Give us a kiss, _Queenie!_" he screams an inch from her face and she instinctively recoils,

"Sorry," she laughs around her rising scream, "I'm engaged!"

She holds up her hand, showing the ring but the man lurches forward with alcohol soaked breath and she nearly slips in her heels as she tries to get away, she wants to scream, to scream for help, to punch this man in the face, her flight or fight instinct is activated but if she does any of the above things she'll be vilified by society.

_Help_.

She needs help.

She needs…

"Hi!"

A gloved hand on the man's arm, pressing on his pressure points, making him release Katherine until he turns to see the face attached to the arm. Caroline smiles at him prettily and holds up her phone,

"Can I get a selfie?"

She's pretty enough and he's drunk enough that he goes along with it, bending to get his face in the shot while hands land on Katherine's arms and the scream nearly escapes her before she hears the voice in her ear, "It's Josh," he tells her, "Come with me, ma'm."

He links an arm through hers and practically marches her back to the steps, almost lifting her off her feet until they are in the entrance hall which is being manned by servants determined not to let anyone who wasn't permitted past the doors.

She's deposited against the wall and reaches out blindly until her hand comes into contact with something cool and hard. She looks down and sees a stand with a vase of flowers on it and lets it keep her upright while the chaos whirls around her.

Klaus tries to dart outside but is forcibly held back by the guards and Kol returns inside soaked in beer and spluttering as he wipes his eyes. He's ordered by security to stand next to her so they can keep track of who is out there that isn't supposed to be.

"Caroline," she hears the name and sees Klaus shouting at the team, "Caroline Forbes needs to be brought inside _now_."

"I'm here," she announces, appearing on the steps, looking calm even as her hair is falling out of place and she's missing a glove, "Katherine, are you okay?"

_No_.

She needs a valium, a strong drink and a joint.

She needs the doors to be slammed shut so she can feel safe.

"Close the doors," she whispers under her breath, thankfully in the Romani tongue,

"Fuck Elijah, close the damn doors."

Thankfully no-one understands her and she focuses on catching her breath before standing up and holding her hands together in front of her,

"Would everyone please join me as we return to the celebrations?" she requests, the courtiers having gathered in the hall and on the steps,

"It would be a shame to have all that champagne go to waste."

"_Fuck_ the champagne!" someone calls down, "Where's the _fucking_ king?"

She swallows, "He's fine," she lies, "He's with Ansel and he's…"

"_Here!_"

Ansel's shout echoes through the hall and Katherine twists her torso to see him stumbling into sight, he is gripping Elijah's arm and practically dragging him across the threshold as the king continues waving and calling to the crowds.

"Shut the doors!" he orders and the servants hastily comply, half the security team still outside.

Katherine turns around fully and manages to walk on shaky legs to Elijah's side, noting with dismay his torn sleeves, the scratches on his face, neck and arms and his watch has been stolen.

But he's smiling, absolutely beaming with sheer joy,

"That was wonderful," he breaths as she grips his forearms to keep herself upright, "Katerina, they love me!"

She wants to slap him, to scream at him for having been so stupid, for having risked so much but nearby, a woman clears her throat, catching her attention and she sees her mother in her peripheral vision. She reaches up to rub the corner of her eye, a Petrova signal for press.

The documentary crew was still watching them.

"Of course they love you," she laughs, stretching up to kiss him on the lips, the one place on his lower face not covered in lipstick stains.

"A little too much." She jokes, wiping a bit of purple lipstick from his chin.

"Please," she tells the courtiers, "Return to the ball, His Majesty will be along shortly, once he's cleaned up."

She takes Elijah's hand and begins walking him to the stairs, judging him too wound up by the crowds and too distracted to find his own way and she passes Damon who was standing at the top of the staircase with Bonnie behind him, "I need a hit," she tells him in Italian, "Meet me in the King's chambers."

They're followed by a veritable crowd, all the way to the King's sitting room, where Ansel waits until everyone has filed in before shutting the doors. He does a quick check of the crowd and sees that only the two elder princes and the Petrova-Salvatore clan is there and takes a deep breath, stalking over to Elijah with a dark look on his face.

"If you ever act that foolish again," he says to him in an ominous tone, "I will quit this job and _never_ come back."

He clearly wants to say more but he settles for taking another breath, giving a bow so sharp that it was almost a slap to the face, walking over to the windows and taking out his communications device, speaking into it rapidly as he tried to sort out the security team still trying to herd the citizens off the palace grounds.

Elijah seems startled at such a display from Ansel and is clearly about to argue with him when Miranda comes forward,

"He's just worried about you," she murmurs in a mothering tone,

"We were all a little shaken by the sheer noise but it was a wonderful display."

She begins fussing over him, clucking her tongue at the torn clothes and trying to shuffle him to his rooms to change. Meanwhile, Alexander has taken Katherine by her bare shoulders and she starts at the touch,

"I have had enough of being pulled about by men tonight," she snaps, shaking her father's hold of her and going straight to the wet bar in the corner, pouring a finger of bourbon into a tumbler and throwing it back, Damon appears at her side and she pours another finger, handing him the glass before leading him into the antechamber, "Light it up," she orders and he draws the joint out of his inner pocket,

"Yes, Your Majesty," he teases and she gives him a warning look, "You really want to fight me tonight?"

He shakes his head and puts the joint in his mouth, striking a match off the wall and lighting it up before inhaling and handing it to her, opening the window to blow the smoke out.

The chant is still alive, but mixed up with other shouts and songs, somewhere a bottle is smashed and she jumps at the noise.

"You okay?" Damon asks, quietly, as she inhales deeper than necessary, chasing the buzz as quickly as she can,

"Of course," she lies, laying the sarcasm on thick as she rolls her eyes, "It was an amazing display of love."

He snorts, "It was fucking stupid is what it was, I'm pretty sure father dear nearly swore tonight, second time in history."

Katherine stills, "Nadia," she gasps, "Where is…"

"Safe," he swears, "When the security ran out of the room, Giuseppe took Nadia and went straight to the Cousin's Palace. He let me know when they got to Stefan and Elena's rooms."

Katherine breathes a sigh of relief and leans against the window, trying to find relaxation in her high,

"One Petrova safe at least," She murmurs, giving him a sad smile, "I'm sorry, Damon."

He frowns, exhaling out the window, "For what?"

"Asking you about your niece," she mumbles, suddenly thirsty and wishing that the wet bar was closer, "If she hadn't been born, you and Elena might've…"

"If that had happened, I would never have met Bonnie," he interrupts, "And then I'd really have reason to be pissed at you."

He doesn't put his hands on her but bumps her with his hip, "Come on, Katty, party time."

Elijah emerges into the antechamber seconds after Damon flicks the joint out the window, he's dressed in a proper tuxedo and his face has been washed of the lipstick, with a spray of cologne to hide the stench of beer. He looks slightly downcast but walks over and takes Katherine's hand,

"Are you ready, Katerina?"

She can smile easily now and so she does, "Of course, my love."

* * *

A/N- Thanks for reading!


	16. Chapter 16- Elijah

_Flashback_

_Despite the plush carpeting of the palace halls, voices could still carry, which was why courtiers tended to speak in whispers, lest their scheming be overheard, or worse, that someone declare that loud voices were crass._

_So, when he hears the bickering, he is surprised, before noting the voices and then he is pleased._

_He follows the sound one flight of stairs to where one of the late Queen-Mother's suites had been retrofitted into a cinema for the younger generations._

_He knew some new movie was out that Rebekah was absolutely dying to see and, as it wasn't due to be released in Valhalla for another two months, Esther had pulled some strings to have a private viewing in the palace._

_The kitchen was sending up popcorn and the princes had been planning to watch the movie too, until they'd heard the word romance and quickly come up with excuses._

_Not that Rebekah wanted them there anyway._

_It was a girls-only event._

_Including the two Petrova girls fighting in the hallway._

_"You're sick!" one of them snapped and he pauses, giving himself a moment to try and guess which sister it was making that statement._

_"And you're a whiny little tattletale." The other one responds and he knows that is Katerina._

_Curious now, and not a little amused, he rounds the corner to see the girls just as one sneezes violently._

_She raises her head, curls tumbling out from the beanie and the scarf wrapped around her neck, while the other sister puts her hands on her hips, _

_"Told you so."_

_Elijah doesn't quite catch the response but judging from the way Elena's eyes widen, he figures it wasn't a comment about the weather._

_Katerina wipes her nose with a tissue and straightens herself up, "I'm fine and you can go right to…"_

_He clears his throat, alerting the two of them to his presence and Elena blushes in mortification while Katerina blushes for another reason entirely._

_He hopes at least._

_It had been a month since that day on the beach, although Elijah swore he could remember the touch of her warm flesh beneath his fingertips and how she'd trembled against him. Unfortunately, with the start of the university semester for him and her second-last year of school for her, he hadn't had the time- or admittedly, the nerve- to meet up with her._

_Instead, he'd had to settle for texts messages that had grown in frequency until he could be positive that she would be one of the first people he would speak to in the morning and one of the last he would hear from before going to sleep at night._

_He smiles at her before looking to Elena, "How are you?" he asks and she grins, "I'm well, your highness, Katerina, on the other hand has a cold."_

_Elijah leaps upon this chance and puts his hand on her arm,_

_"You're unwell?" he asks, and she raises her face to his, her lips dry and chapped,_

_"I'm fine," she pouts sulkily, her voice raspy and her nose red, and her cheeks are flushed with a high color while her eyes are bright._

_Elijah presses the back of his hand against her forehead as he had seen his mother do hundreds of times and winces at the heat he finds there._

_"The coffee stations here are stocked with honey and ginger tea for the colder weather," he begins, "Might I suggest a cup or three?"_

_Katerina rolls her eyes, even as she's smiling, "I'm not si…"_

_Her sentence is cut off by another dainty sneeze and Elena laughs,_

_"I'm going to go watch Ryan Gosling," she announces proudly, "You shouldn't come in unless you make the Princess sick."_

_If looks could kill, Elijah rather suspects his afternoon would be hijacked by a dead body in the Palace._

_Fortunately, he is rather certain that there would protocol in place for that. Considering how blood-thirsty some of his ancestors had been, he's sure that there's a royal body disposer somewhere in the building._

_Or would that duty just fall to Ansel?_

_And is that a question one can ask without causing immediate concern?_

_Katerina sticks her tongue out at her sister but otherwise lets Elijah lead her away, down to the end of the hallway where one of the new coffee stands hadn't lasted the morning siege._

_Drops of honey leave sticky marks across the counter and the waste bin is almost overflowing._

_There's no water in the kettle, but there's bottled water on the shelf, so he twists off the cap, checks that it's still and pours it in._

_"You don't have to take care of me," Katerina murmurs, sitting down on the window seat and leaning her forehead against the cool glass, _

_"I'm sure you had other stuff to do today."_

_Two essays, three chapters and a revision of the first constitution._

_"Actually, I had nothing on," he lies, smoothly, "I was going to join my sister until your own mentioned Ryan Gosling."_

_She chuckled and rubbed her temple, "I can't believe that I'm going to be defeated by a sinus infection."_

_He hums in sympathy and pours the water into a porcelain mug, stirring in the honey before dropping in the tea bag and carries it over to her, sitting down beside her, admittedly a little closer than necessary, and waiting for her to pull off her gloves._

_"Drink up." he orders, as she takes the tea from him, blowing gently on it before taking a small sip and moaning in appreciation._

_And Elijah can't help but notice how even when she was sick she was beautiful._

_Her eyes are closed and he takes the chance to wet his lips before she opens them again,_

_"I feel better already," she says and he laughs,_

_"You know lying to your Crown Prince is a punishable offense?" he jokes and she widens her eyes dramatically, feigning fear._

_"Well, I can't bribe or threaten you to forget my crime," she sighs, glancing up through her eyelashes, "But you aren't going to have me arrested?"_

_Never._

_A smile crawls across his lips, "I can think of one way to make me forget," he murmurs, shifting closer to her and her blush is no longer caused by her temperature or the steaming mug in her hands. She glances down, visibly fighting her own smile,_

_"I don't think that's a good idea," she whispers as the air between them becomes electric and he reaches over to cup her cheek,_

_"Why not?" he asks gently, brushing his thumb over her lower lip._

_"I think," she breathes, "That to kiss you would be to fall in love with you."_

_He grins and bends his head closer, "Then I'm afraid I must insist."_

* * *

Elijah opened one eye as the door to his study brushed across the heavy carpet.

Katerina stuck her head in, looking to the king's desk where the papers of state had been delivered an hour ago, and frowns when she doesn't see him sitting on the same chair his father and grandfather had graced during their reigns.

He waits patiently for her to glance around the room, her eyes alighting on him spread out on the gold settee, using his arm as a pillow as he looks out the window to the lightly falling snow.

She steps inside, leaving the door ajar as she crosses the carpet, sitting down on a chair and quirking an eyebrow,

"Still working off that hangover?" she guesses and he nods,

"That," he allows "And I think whatever is left of my immune system has gone on vacation," he quips,

"But don't tell Aiden, he's still on the horseradish vinegar as a cure-all."

She laughs and rests her chin on her hand, "What about Ansel?"

Elijah snorts, "He's on mandatory vacation and I'm reasonably certain trying to detox after his caffeine overdose."

She reaches over and places the back of her hand to his forehead, bringing a memory to the forefront of his mind and he catches her fingers as she goes to withdraw, pressing a kiss to the tips.

"Do you remember when you gave me a cold?" he prompts and she blinks in surprise before laughing,

"You mean, when I was obviously sick and you kissed me anyway?" she challenges, moving over to sit on his lap,

"Besides, a week later you gave me the flu, I couldn't go back to Switzerland for a month because of that."

He grinned and raised her hand above his head, spreading her across his body.

"Was I your first kiss?" he asks, wrapping his arm around her back and she bites her lip but shakes her head regretfully,

"No, there'd been others before that, but it was the most romantic I'd had."

He marks that down as a win and celebrates with a quick peck on her lips, making her smirk as she lays her head on his shoulder,

"But if anyone in the press asks," she says, "Our first kiss was at my debutante ball."

Elijah frowns slightly and tilts his head to look down at her, "Why?"

She walks two fingers across his chest, smoothing down a crinkle in his shirt,

"Because my debutante ball was five months later, which meant that it sounded better for me to be closer to seventeen than I was when we first kissed."

He runs his tongue across his teeth,

"That doesn't leave much time between our first kiss and our engagement." he points out but she shrugs,

"No, but we can claim that we took things slow…until we didn't," she makes a face,

"Either way, it's done now, as far as Rose knows, we were platonic until my official entry into society."

He thinks about that day, her debut into society, how she had snuck away from her friends to meet him in the garden. And when she was formally presented to the Court, she had worn a crooked smile of pride and glee, laughing at the irony that she was wearing white.

"I thought we were past the lies and subterfuge." he whispers, so quietly that she can't hear him.

Her phone buzzes and she pulls it out of her back pocket, smiling when she reads the message,

"Caroline is doing a Starbucks run," she tells him, "You want a venti?"

He yawns and slings an arm across her waist, "I want to relax," he decides,

"Just stay here watching the snow until it turns dark."

She ignores him, tapping away on her phone as she pushes herself into a sitting position,

"Venti mocha latte with an extra shot it is."

She climbs off him and heads to the desk, "Come on," she encourages, trying to open the sealed box of state, "You have work to do."

She opens the top desk drawer and finds the key to the box, breaking the seal before lifting the lid,

"I can do that later," he argues, "Everything is winding down for the holiday season anyway."

Katerina looks at the first sheet of paper,"Government might be winding down, but society is winding up," she looks over at him,

"Have you forgotten that tonight is the first play of the season? Part of the celebrations for the beginning of your rule."

"You sound like your mother." he groans, but she only hums in amusement,

"No, I sound like yours," she counters, "Except with a university degree, access to contraception and every intention of reading these reports."

She winces and holds up her finger, turning on the desk lamp, as she examines a papercut,

"When the ministries have finished hiring, we should consider a green initiative, get the government into the modern era."

Elijah gazes up at the ceiling, "What do you think about a film?" he muses,

"We could visit the cinema, watch that romance film I stopped you from seeing the day I first kissed you."

She smirks but her response is interrupted by a knock on the door,

"Your Majesty?" a page stepped into the room, "A Miss Forbes, here to see you and the Lady Katerina? She is carrying beverages and believes that you are expecting her."

"Send her in." Katerina orders him, barely looking up from the papers on the desk and the page stares at her incredulously before turning his face back to the king.

"Send her in," Elijah echoes, pulling himself into a sitting position with a sigh, "Thank-you."

The page bows, exiting and per protocol, Elijah knows Caroline would have been left standing in the hall, and walking from there to the study, through three different rooms took at least two minutes. So, he had time to turn to his fiancé,

"Perhaps wait until we are married before you begin the usurpation, darling."

She raises her head, a placid expression on her face that morphs into a happy smile as Caroline bustles in,

"Sorry it took so long!" she gasped, giving Elijah a curtsey whilst juggling the cup holder.

"There was a line and then the barista didn't speak English and couldn't understand my Valhallan, so someone else had to translate for me and then they wanted to make small talk while waiting for the coffee and then the guy at the gatehouse is new and didn't know who I was, so I was trying to convince him to let me in when thankfully, Klaus drove past, oh…and he tried to steal your coffee, Your Majesty, I may have stomped on his foot to stop him."

Elijah chuckled, "Just listening to you is giving me all the energy I need." He teased, as she made her way to the desk, holding out a coffee for Katerina,

"Oh, Care," she said, "You have to serve Elijah first."

Caroline faltered and blushed, "Right, sorry."

Elijah frowned, "Really, Katerina, it's coffee, not the first course of a banquet."

He rose to his feet and helped Caroline take his cup from the cardboard, throwing his fiancé a chastening glance but she isn't the least bit fazed,

"And if we were in my rooms, or in Rose Seng, it wouldn't matter, but in the King's rooms, the king is served first."

He rolls his eyes at Caroline, making her giggle, "Sit in the Royal Box tonight, and I'll personally see you served before anyone," He offers,

"You can even have my seat."

She makes a noncommittal noise while taking her own coffee, sipping on it and unknowingly breaking protocol by not serving Katerina next,

"I'm sitting with Bonnie in the Salvatore box," she told him, "She's an old friend."

"Well then," Elijah grins, "By all means, enjoy the show, the audience is almost as interesting as the intended spectacle."

* * *

Bonnie pressed her lips together to try and hide her nervousness and flexed the arm linked through Damon's as they reached the red carpet leading into the theatre.

"You look amazing," he whispered in her ear, wearing a tight grin as a camera flashed right in their eyes.

"People are staring because you're super hot." He continued and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes while wearing a friendly smile she'd stolen right from Caroline.

She didn't want to state the obvious, but she doubted the sole reason people were staring was because her green silk dress was stunning.

One of the first things she'd discovered in Valhalla was that there weren't many black people, even in the capital city, which meant she'd got a lot of weird looks.

She'd talked it over with Caroline, not sure that her fiancé would understand, not that her best friend really did either, but she provided a sympathetic ear.

At least it wasn't like back in the states where she in some cities she couldn't go into a store without the security guard keeping an eye on her, or service people giving her the side-eye as she handed over her credit card, when they finally got around to serving her that is.

Still, she could feel eyes on her like pin pricks on her skin as they walked into the theatre, through the crowd milling about in the foyer, waiting for the royal family to arrive.

Giuseppe Salvatore was standing by the bar, carrying a beautiful walking cane that matched his white silk scarf and Bonnie quickly took her eyes off it because it looked a little too much like ivory.

He nodded to Damon but bowed to her and she has a moment wondering whether she's supposed to curtsey or bow back when Giuseppe takes her free hand and brings it to his lips, kissing her fingers dryly and she blushes, unused to the greeting.

"How lovely to see you, dear," he says, his voice kind but a little loud considering they're standing barely five feet from each other, "You are looking resplendent."

"Thank-you," she replies, in carefully rehearsed Valhallan tongue, "I am so happy to be here."

He gives a curt nod and, pleasantries done, looks over their shoulders, muttering to Damon, too quickly for her to understand, though she could pick up a word or two.

Damon huffs and responds before tilting his head to her,

"He's just commenting on everyone being here," he explains, "And how they'll all see Stefan and Elena arriving with the Royal family."

"Oh," Bonnie taps his arm, suddenly remembering, "He knows Caroline is sitting with us, right?"

He nods, "Yeah, I had them put a seat in for her,"

"Speaking of which…" he trails off and she twists to see her friend coming in the doors, lifting herself up on her toes to look over the heads of the crowd before bounding over.

"Hi!" she squeals, pulling her in for a tight hug and nearly dislocating Damon's arm as she tugs them apart,

"Oh my God! It is so good to see you, I've missed you and you really need to get a number here so we can contact each other, Facebook messenger isn't enough because I can't really be on Facebook when working, even if Katherine probably doesn't care but the wifi is really bad in the Cousin's palace so I can't have too many pages open at once and…"

Damon is staring at Caroline in shock, "What's she taken?" he asks Bonnie, who shakes her head,

"Care?" she disentangles herself and puts her hands on her friend's shoulders,

"How much caffeine have you had today?"

"_You're not my mother,_" Caroline snaps, almost automatically before scoffing self-depreciatingly,

"Sorry, coffee is a serious thing in the Palace, Katherine and Elijah- the King- practically mainline the stuff, and Aiden- his p.a- he brought me a coffee just before I left and I'm pretty sure it was mixed with energy drink."

Bonnie glances around and sees that they're being watched by people around them, but she can also see by the confusion on their faces that Caroline is talking too quickly for them to understand her, so she draws her into the group and turns to Damon,

"She'll be fine." she assures him, even as Caroline bounces on her toes next to her.

A sudden silence falls over the crowd and a man dressed in livery stands before the doors, stomping his foot and announcing something loudly that Bonnie takes to mean that the royal family had arrived.

What happens next is the most- and only- civilized stampede Bonnie has ever seen, as people push their way forward to form a line either side of the long red carpet leading across the foyer.

She and Caroline stand back and lose their chance, settling for second place with the others who hadn't made it in time and were graciously surrendering, as opposed to those who were still trying to shove their way in.

The king enters first, with Katherine on his arm and one-by-one, the people curtsey or bow as he moves past them, receiving a nod in return.

Bonnie wonders if it's lese-majeste to think that the king looks very bored as he moves past, certainly, Katherine looked a lot more excited than him to be there, waving at her as they reached the stairs and she's about to say as much to Caroline when the Crown Prince- who was a step behind his brother- pauses and looks to her, jerking his head at her friend.

Caroline shakes her head and points to Bonnie, mouthing something and he frowns, starting when poked in the shoulder by Stefan, who had come in with Elena and the Petrova's after the royal family, and hurrying after the king.

Bonnie turns to her friend, "What was that?" she asks but Caroline only shakes her head,

"Oh, he was just wondering why I wasn't with Katherine and I told him that I'm in your box."

When the royal family disappears from sight, people start climbing the stairs in their wake, holding their tickets in hand as they enter the theatre.

Bonnie follows behind Giuseppe, Damon on one arm and Caroline bouncing along beside her, they walk along the second floor, past one curtain with the royal crest and then another three red curtains drawn back with red tassels, until they reach one with Salvatore stamped on a gold sign on the wall beside it.

The box is the first one she's been in, but Bonnie thinks it's much nicer than the ground floor, with velvet seats, a table drawn out from the wall of the box to place drinks on, and an ice bucket under it already filled with champagne.

She moves to the front of the box and looks over the theatre, down into the crowds which were filling their seats, up to the decorated ceiling where ornate chandeliers hung and over to the royal box where people were milling around, the king standing at the front like her, except his shoulder was turned to the audience and he was talking to his sister.

She counts fifteen boxes all up and notes that some of them were so badly placed that it wouldn't be possible to see the stage properly, she is about to point this out to Caroline when she hears Giuseppe's voice behind her, sounding even more formal than usual.

She twists around and sees the Crown Prince had come into the box, greeting Caroline and blocking the entrance for one of the theatre ushers, who was turning red with mortification.

She's about to speak up when Caroline notices them and tugs on the prince's sleeve, leading him into the box and perching on the edge of her seat so that there's room for him to stand.

The usher approaches Giuseppe and Damon, speaking to them and receiving a reply before turning to her, she shrugs and blushes slightly when he speaks to her and looks to Damon for a translation,

"He wants to know what you want to drink," he explains, "You can order a cocktail or anything from the menu."

He hands her a thick piece of parchment with a drink menu written in calligraphy, and there's so many options that she gives up,

"Um…I'll just have the champagne and maybe some sparkling water later." she tells him via Damon.

The lights dim once and she takes that as a signal to take her place, which was beside her fiancé, in the front row, Caroline sitting beside her, and Stefan and Elena arriving to take up the second row along with a few family friends.

Or that was what was supposed to happen.

Caroline had perched in a second-row seat to speak to Klaus, who was leaning over the chair to speak to her and the two of them were so caught up in the conversation that they didn't notice the lights dimming a second time.

Elena falls into the seat beside her with a huff,

"Hi," she says, "I spoke to the theatre and they gave me these," she holds out her hand to reveal a pair of Bluetooth headphones,

"They're linked to a system that provides translations for people in the audience who don't speak Valhallan, they're all set up so you just have to put them on."

Bonnie smiles, thanking her before setting them over her ears, catching the end of an instruction to take her seat because the curtain was about to rise.

The lights go off completely and she hears Caroline shush someone and looks over her shoulder to see the crown prince glaring down at the stage before whispering something to her friend before stepping through the box curtain just as it came down.

Elena catches her eye and jerks her eyebrows meaningfully, causing her to smother a giggle as she settles properly in her seat. A modicum of quiet had fallen over the theatre, although the darkness was interrupted periodically by the bright light of phones and there was the dull roar of people whispering to one another, ignoring the requests for silence.

One of those people being Damon who is staring at the royal box,

"What the hell?" he mutters, before leaning past her to Elena,

"Where is your sister?!" he demands and she's frowning,

"What? She's beside…"

Elena trails off and Bonnie follows their gazes to the royal box where the king is sitting looking even less excited than before, his sister Rebekah is sitting next to him looking haughty with her chest sticking out and Katherine was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Katherine resisted the urge to scream or kick the wall as she swept out of the royal box into the hall.

When she was queen, she would take every last piece of royal jewelry intended for female use and lock them up in her cabinet and forbid Rebekah from touching any of it.

And see if Finn or Freya were ever invited to any event at Court ever again.

Everything had been running smoothly, like clockwork until the family had reached the royal box, to find Mikael's bastards already sitting there.

Courtesy of Rebekah's invitation.

Elijah had been distracted by his younger sister while Katherine had quickly counted the seats and realized what the princess had been intending.

With the entire family in the box, there was no room for Elijah's fiancée, and etiquette meant that even the bastards could take precedence over her.

She should have known Rebekah would pull something like this, the spoilt little brat must have been watching too much Gossip Girl and thought she could scheme with the best of them.

Well, for the moment, she was right.

It was the first event of the winter season and Katherine had essentially been kicked out of the royal box, with nowhere to go.

Her parents didn't have a box at the theatre, her grandfather had been refused one when he was alive and now, out of respect for him, they refused to purchase or rent one, preferring to throw their money at good seats at the symphony instead.

The Salvatore box was full and she could technically kick Caroline out of her seat, but people would have already noted the blonde there and would figure out pretty quickly what had happened.

If they hadn't already.

Her seat was beside Elijah's after all.

Perhaps she could go down to the bar and have them call an ambulance? Fake an illness of some kind?

She's standing at the top of the stairs, contemplating 'tripping' and falling down them so as to have a real injury for the press that would inevitably end up in the ER with her- and to elicit sympathy whilst maybe making Rebekah feel guilty- when she hears her name called.

"As I live and breathe, Katerina Petrova."

The voice is jocular, with a hint of British accent that came from having spent his childhood with British au pairs, and she's smiling as she looks down to see a handsome man with black hair and friendly eyes staring up at her,

"Lucien Castle!"

He takes the stairs two at a time, showing energy deemed uncivilized by the upper echelons of society and when he reaches her, he doesn't take her hand but pulls her in, kissing her cheeks boisterously, "Hello beautiful, how are you?"

She smiles flirtatiously, "Always glad to see you."

He laughs, "Liar."

"Flatterer," she corrects, "Never accuse a woman of lying."

He makes a face, and looks to the curtained boxes, and the usher glaring at them as much as they dared, "Am I late?"

She gives a half shrug, "Only a few minutes…"

She trails off and reaches into his jacket pocket, seeing the corner of the tickets and scanning them quickly, "You have a _box?_"

He grins, "Don't sound so surprised, Kat, Kingmaker Enterprises has been growing this quarter, despite the market."

She hands him back one ticket, "You waiting on someone?"

He glances down, "Aurora was supposed to accompany me to Valhalla on holiday, but she was invited by the Orleans to Nice instead."

Katherine slips her arm through his, "Then you'll have to settle for me."

She begins steering him towards his box, which she suspects that he had chosen to rent based on view of the stage as opposed to proximity to the royal box, which was a common mistake for those not born to nobility or wealth.

Lucien had been born into the family of caretakers who tended the De Martell estates, he had grown up playing with Tristan and Aurora until they were sent to boarding school and he had been reminded of his 'place' in society.

In love with Aurora, he had applied to De Rosey, getting in on scholarship, much like she had done and they had often been paired together, not because they had similar ranks in classes, but because the more 'titled' students didn't want to work with the gypsy or the gardener.

He had been her first boyfriend and they had kept in casual touch over the years.

He had started Kingmaker enterprises when he was still in university and made his first million before the year was out. Katherine couldn't even guess his wealth now, but she knew that no matter how many chalets, chateaux, or cruise ships he owned, Tristan de Martell would never let him marry his sister, and he still faced exclusion for not being born into wealth.

Still, in spite of this, he was kind and generous. For her twenty-first birthday, he had gifted her a thousand shares in his company, a real estate firm that paid quite nice dividends. In return, she had promised that he would always have a place at her family home and now, he was about to enter society with the future queen on his arm.

They are asked to be quiet as the usher draws back the curtain and the two of them exchange cheeky glances as they take their seats, the only two in the box, while Katherine looks to the ice bucket where the champagne was resting.

She sees that it's pink and guesses that it must be Aurora's favourite.

Honestly, Lucien could do so much better than that airhead, but she had to respect his devotion.

"Should we ask the usher to pop the cork quietly?" he jokes, whispering in her ear and her shoulders shake as she reaches behind her, handing the bottle to the same usher whose disembodied arm reaches through the curtain and withdraws slowly.

"Do you know the play?" she asks, putting a hand on his arm and he nods,

"I watched the French version on youtube," he tells her, "And I'm sorry Kat, but it's much more romantic in my language than yours."

She gasps theatrically, putting a hand to her chest and he puts a finger to his lips, "Shush! Quiet!"

The two of them giggle and the usher appears with a condemnatory glare aimed at Lucien and the champagne which he pours into two glasses before disappearing again.

Katherine hadn't seen the play before, but she's not a fan of Chekov, however, having Lucien beside her whispering the French translations into her ear made it a lot more interesting.

Especially when he started improvising and adding random bits of dialogue or commentary.

* * *

_"'Lijah,"_

_"'Lijah!"_

Elijah tore his eyes away from the stage to glance quickly over his shoulder,

"Shut up, Kol." He hissed at his little brother, who was himself twisted in his seat with Freya's vintage opera glasses in his hand.

He looks to Niklaus, hoping to delegate the task of controlling Kol, or at least keeping him entertained so that the rest of them could enjoy the play, but the Crown Prince wasn't meeting his eye, instead he was watching the Salvatore box where Caroline Forbes was engrossed in the play.

Kol is still whispering his name and he wonders if the theatre is dark enough that he can throw something at him without being caught?

Probably not.

"_What?!_" he snaps, turning in his seat to get a better look at his brother, "In the name of all our gods, _what_ do you want?"

Rebekah glares at him from the queen's seat, apparently annoyed that he was ruining the performance for her.

Kol faces him with a malicious expression, "I thought you might like to know that your fiancé is enjoying her date."

Elijah shows his bewilderment and exasperation, "What are you on about?"

Freya clears her throat delicately and jerks her head in the same direction Kol was looking earlier and Elijah scans the area until he spots his fiancée.

In another man's arms.

No.

He blinks, clearing his vision and sees that the man merely has an arm over the back of Katerina's chair, and she is only leaning in to him, not against him.

But she is wearing such a smile that he hasn't seen on her face in a long while and has tucked her hair behind her ear so that the man can whisper into it without impediment.

Was this the boy Katerina had played with in America?

Whom did he have to call to have a visa revoked?

Or could he just order Aiden to have it done?

"It is nothing," he murmurs to Kol, before running his tongue along his teeth and facing the stage, "She had to sit somewhere."

Although it remained to be seen why the Salvatore box hadn't been good enough.

* * *

When the curtains fell for intermission and the lights slowly came on, Katherine braced herself and deliberately kept her eyes on Lucien who was taking her empty glass from her,

"Should we hit the bar and see if they have themed cocktails?" he asks,

"I know you've always preferred your alcohol with enough sugar to kill a dentist."

She laughs, and pretends not to notice that half the theatre is staring at her, pointing her out to their neighbors or friends and she can almost hear the whispers as they wonder why she isn't in the royal box and who she was with.

"The one on this floor though," she tells him, turning around as he drapes her wrap over her shoulders, "The one on the ground floor will already have a line ten deep."

He puts a hand on her back instead of offering his arm and she smiles to herself, wondering how she can tell him how to escort her properly when they step through the curtain and almost immediately run into Stefan.

"Hey," she starts in surprise, "Everything okay?"

He nods but swallows nervously, "Uh…Elijah requested that you join him in for the intermission."

She quirks an eyebrow but smiles, turning to Lucien, "You only have to bow once and refer to him as 'Your Majesty' until he tells you to call him Elijah."

His eyes widen but he otherwise appears calm and in control as Stefan leads them along towards the royal box.

Katherine sees something out of the corner of her eye and pauses slightly, giving herself a moment to run the image back through her mind before turning for a second look.

And a third to confirm what she was seeing.

Aiden was leading a woman through the crowd, checking his phone casually, as if he had no idea who she was.

She was wearing a purple dress that looked beautiful against her darker skin that few women could pull off, except that it was a few inches too short for the event and the skin around her ankles was red, showing that her high heels were either new or rarely worn.

She looked nervous, biting her lip and tugging on the clutch slung over her shoulder, climbing the stairs a lot more carefully than Aiden, who nodded to her respectfully as he passed.

Thinking quickly, Katherine turned to Stefan, "_No one_ enters the box after you two," she tells him in a whisper, "And you stay there til the curtain goes back up."

He frowns at her tone but nods and leads a confused Lucien into the royal box, a few seconds before Aiden reaches the entrance and, by 'accidentally' pulling the curtain closed behind them, stops Elijah's private secretary in his tracks.

Katherine descends on him with a forced smile, stepping closer than necessary, throwing him off as he tries to figure out what is happening.

"A little advice," she murmurs, "Don't forget which royal you work for."

He blinks, "Uh…Rebekah asked me to bring her friend…"

"I know," Katherine interrupts, "Hence my suggestion."

He realizes something beyond his understanding was taking place and murmurs a polite excuse before making a beeline for the bathroom.

Katherine makes sure he's gone before catching the attention of a passing usher,

"Two glasses of champagne please." She requests, and guesses her future position was enough for the usher to deign taking on the role of waiter this one time.

With a short exhale, she turns with a sweep of her skirts around her heels to face the woman,

"Keep smiling," she tells her as she takes her arm and leads them out of the middle of the corridor to the railing where they could look down at the foyer,

"If you show your emotions, we'll attract more attention than we already have."

The woman slips her clutch off her shoulder and takes it in her hands, "Uh…Rebekah, the _princess_ is expecting me."

"I know," Katherine says, keeping her posture open and welcoming, despite her inner turmoil,

"Except by bringing you into the royal box she would have forced a public meeting between you and Elijah, who, despite his best efforts, wouldn't have been able to cover his shock well enough, which would have betrayed you both to the very people you least want to know your secret."

Gia Mohan blanches, "You know who I am." She says, clearly mortified and Katherine feels a thrill of sadistic pleasure,

"Of course, I do," she replies, feigning surprise, "Elijah and I have no secrets from one another."

Gia stares at her, taking her in and, judging from the mounting contempt in her eyes, not liking what she saw, "And what?" she demands, "You're okay with this?!"

The usher arrives with the champagne and she takes the two flutes, handing one to Gia who takes it automatically, Katherine sips at the drink and swallows the bubbles, "I was away a very long time," she allows, "But if I wasn't okay with this," she echoes Gia, "It would have already ended."

Gia slips her clutch back under her shoulder and leans back slightly, "Do you even care about Elijah?" she asks, "Because right now all I see is a heartless bitch."

Katherine laughs lightly, "You need to smile," she reminds her in a singsong voice, "Because there are press in the crowd."

She moves closer, lowering her voice, "Do you see all the people around us? The courtiers and the socialites, the press and the hangers on?"

She waits for Gia to nod before continuing, "Some of these people call themselves my friend. Some tell me that they love me and would die for me, but every last one of them would jump at the chance to destroy me. They'd betray me in a second for their own advancement. How could I put myself through all this on a daily basis if I wasn't deeply in love?"

"Because the lure of the crown is an addiction for people like you.

Katherine straightens up, surprised to be facing anti-ziganism from an American,

"People like me?" she asks, "Gypsies you mean?"

Gia shakes her head, colouring at the implied accusation. "No, ambitious power players, nobles..."

"Oh," Katherine hums, "I can't exactly deny that, but I will say, that ambition alone wasn't enough to get me to where I am today, love played the major factor, unfortunately…"

The lights dim and she finishes her glass, leaving it on the railing, "I know I'm the last person to give you advice or tell you to avoid the king," she makes a face,

"But…do be careful not to get caught."

She gives a flirtatious smile, an air kiss on the cheek and sweeps away, maintaining a carefully cultivated air of serenity until she reaches the female bathrooms and can move around the exiting women to lock herself into a stall.

She can't utter a sound, she can't risk betraying herself, but she puts her hands to her mouth as she twists it into a silent scream.

* * *

A/N- Tell me what you think


	17. Chapter 17

A/N- Hey Everyone, Happy May! Thanks for sticking with this story.

* * *

_Flashback_

_Katerina wasn't speaking to him._

_And he knows that logically, she can't speak to him across a crowded ballroom whilst he was waltzing with another woman in his arms._

_But she hadn't spoken to him all night, nothing more than a brief hello as he'd stopped in his entrance to the ballroom to ask her father a question, a clear ruse so he could make conversation with Miranda and then Katerina and Elena._

_And Elena had been friendlier to him than Katerina had._

_Katerina, who only last week had sat on his lap in the gazebo in the spring garden as he'd kissed her so deeply and so long that his lips had been tingling for an hour afterward._

_The music ends, the woman- possibly the Hungarian diplomat's wife or daughter- gushes about how wonderful it was, but he's darting away into the crowd before she can finish._

_Or he's trying to at least._

_Unfortunately, Crown Princes couldn't disappear into a crowd, as the crowd tended to part to allow him through, as though he were surrounded by a barrier that left an almost perfect circle between him and the rest of the world._

_The music begins again and he feels the weight of dozens if not hundreds of mothers, daughters and women acting on their own behalf, willing him to ask them for the next dance._

_He keeps his eyes lowered until he hears his name and sees his younger brother, Kol, waving at him from one of the corners where a few seats were scattered near a drinks table._

_Wonderful, he was probably half way to drunk already._

_And of course, Mikael would blame him for that._

_Well, he can't ask a woman to dance if he's trying to stop his younger brother from drinking the palace dry._

_He is almost on top of him before he sees who his brother is standing next to, and he decides to allow Kol at least another three beers that evening._

_Because he's sitting on either side of the Petrova sisters._

_Both of them rise when he approaches, performing the obligatory curtsey, Elena perfunctorily and Katerina somehow managing to make even obeisance an insult._

_"Good," Kol announces, a little loudly, "You're here, Elena needs someone to dance with her and I've volunteered you."_

_He punctuates that statement with a sip on a champagne glass that has too many lipstick stains on it to have originally been his brother's._

_"Of course," Elijah says smoothly, "It shall be my honour."_

_Elena's gracious smile is heart-warming and he turns his ear to the music, judging he has another two minutes before he needed to take her arm and escort her to the floor._

_"And you, Katerina?" he asks, "Would you care to dance?"_

_Katerina's eyes are chocolate but somehow, her glare is the purest winter night, full of towering glaciers and deep snow with a harsh wind that seeped into your bones and warned you that you would never know warmth again._

_"No thank-you." She answers, turning her face away and he feels the breath knocked out of his body as surely as if she'd punched him in the stomach._

_"Oh, go on, Katty," Kol encourages, "Your only options tonight are 'Lijah, me or Nik and one of us is a terrible dancer and one of us has a busted kneecap and one of us actually bothered learning the steps."_

_Elena is half out of her seat, "You can have the next dance?" she offers politely, "I can wait."_

_"No."_

_Both Katerina and he give that negative in unison and for the briefest moment, he swears he sees a flash of hurt in her eyes, but then it's gone and he gives Elena his arm, "Shall we?"_

_As much as he wanted to speak to Katerina, if he didn't dance with Elena now, he might not have another opportunity for the rest of the night to choose his partner and he didn't want to deny her a simple pleasure._

_Not if it was important to her._

_She is an easy partner, letting him lead her around the floor and too taken with the thrill of dancing with a prince to try and flirt while they moved as his other partners had done. Instead, she gives breathy agreements and answers, with a pleasant smile on her face the entire time._

_He wants to ask her to take the next dance with him as well, however, doing so would fuel gossip and eventually someone would leak it to the media, which would result in another…_

_Elena frowns as he misses a step and draws back quickly to save her foot from being trampled,_

_"Are you well, your highness?" she asks, clearly concerned and he manages a calm smile,_

_"I am fine," he assures her, glad when the music ends and he can escort her back to where he'd left Katerina and his brother, only to find both of them gone._

_He doesn't see either of them for the rest of the night and when he gets back to the royal suites, it's to hear the sound of laughter coming from Nik's room. Curiously, he follows the sound and finds the doors to the receiving room open._

_Inside, he first sees his brother sitting on the couch, an icepack on his knee, shaking his hand and casting dice._

_When he moves further into the room, he sees the coffee table had been pushed out of the way and his siblings were gathered around a game board, along with Elena and Katerina._

_And she was laughing at something Kol had said, looking so beautiful that he wants to intrude on the moment, force them to make him a part of this happiness, but fear of rejection freezes him in place._

_Rebekah spots him first and beams happily, "We're playing Monopoly, big brother," she gushes, "Valhallan edition."_

_He makes a sound of interest and unbuttons his suit so he can crouch down and study the board, noting the locations, "I don't know those two places." he says, pointing to the two first addresses and Kol snickers, "Katty was just pointing out that none of us royals would have ever been there in our lives."_

_"That sounds like a challenge," Elijah jests, looking at her with a grin, "Shall we make a day of it?"_

_She raises her eyebrows, "It wouldn't take a day for you to be mugged and possibly stabbed in those areas, there's a reason you've never been there."_

_He shrugs, "Well, at least the media would have an actual story to report, instead of gossip about my love life."_

_"Your imaginary love life," Bekah interjects laughing, "Poor 'Lijah, who was it they said you were sleeping with?"_

_"A Miss Amber Bradley," he answers, watching Katerina for her response and feeling a sense of triumph when she drops her gaze, her cheeks flushing, as she plays with her game piece_

_"An exchange student I shared notes with for history class."_

_He had been right._

_Katerina had seen that piece of tabloid trash and been jealous._

_He bites his cheek so his grin isn't too obvious and barely hears Rebekah and Nik's gentle ribbing, excusing himself shortly afterwards and heading back to his room to plug his phone in to charge and wait for the text message._

_And wait._

_And wait._

_It's two am when his phone buzzes, waking him up from his light doze and he winces as the button on his dress pants digs into his skin._

_From: Katerina- 'I'm sorry.'_

_He runs a hand over his face, and blinks blearily at the bright screen._

_He needs to get undressed, he needs to brush his teeth and get the taste of champagne out of his mouth, but he knows Katerina doesn't like to apologize, so he needs to think of a response that doesn't leave her hanging._

_To: Katerina- 'Does this mean I get to be jealous the next time a boy makes you laugh?'_

_From: Katerina- 'Yes'_

_He leaves the conversation there and reluctantly pushes himself into a sitting position, thinking that at least there'll be hot water at two am. Still, despite his exhaustion and the lukewarm water, he can't help but wonder if Katerina's jealousy means that the two of them are going to become exclusive._

_He likes the idea._

* * *

Stefan Salvatore found himself idly wondering whether the ancient right of kings to perform human sacrifice had ever actually been struck from the law books of Valhalla.

If not, Lucien Castle was in trouble.

Because the King was studying the man as if he could already see his throat slit and bloodied and naked corpse on the altar.

And Lucien was definitely picking up on the obvious signals, swallowing nervously and faltering in his speech as his eyes kept darting down to the king's fists.

The two of them are speaking rapid-fire French, which Stefan doesn't speak but he can understand the tones Elijah is using.

And he's not bothering to be quiet either.

Stefan still has his back to the curtain, blocking anyone trying to enter.

The twins are both watching him, trying to stare him down but Stefan is Giuseppe Salvatore's son and can meet their gazes impassively. He's not sure what's going on but he'd bet they were behind it and if Katerina told him not to let anyone into the box, then no-one was getting past him.

Well almost no-one.

Nik had shot out of his seat so fast that Stefan couldn't have blocked him even if he'd tried and Kol had damn near tackled him to the ground so he could go hit the bar.

But he figures the two of them weren't whom Katerina was concerned about.

The lights dim once and Lucien stands, bowing quickly to the King and nearly jogging backwards up the stairs in his haste to get away. Stefan lingers only until the lights dim again and people start taking their seats.

He bows politely to Finn and Freya, about to nod to Elijah but the King is facing the stage with his shoulders ramrod straight.

Concerned, Stefan backs out into the hallway and catches sight of Lucien storming along the near empty hallway.

Catching up to him takes just enough effort for Stefan to know that something was definitely _wrong_.

"Hey," he stops and nearly puts a hand on his arm before remembering that they'd only just met, "You okay?"

"Oh wonderful," Lucien snaps, spittle landing on his lips as he glares daggers at everything in sight,

"My trip to Valhalla certainly wouldn't have been complete without hearing a firsthand account of how your King took Katty's virginity on a patch of grass _hours_ before her debutante ball."

_What?!_

"Uh…" Stefan flounders, "He…he's probably jealous and hopefully a little _drunk_…but you were Katerina's first boyfriend, right?"

He seems to remember Elena mentioning him at some point, please let that be true because the alternative was Elijah telling that story to every guy Katerina was friendly with.

And he knows that the Royal family, press office and Ansel had worked way too hard to stop the actual timeline of their relationship from becoming common knowledge.

"Apparently not her first, to hear Elijah brag about it…god, I've met entitled pricks in my time, but…"

"He's a King." Stefan points out, defending Elijah out of patriotic pride, affection for Klaus' siblings and because he knew for a fact that the_ lese-majeste_ laws were still in effect.

"He's an _arse_," Lucien rebuts and steps back, "I'm going to go back to my box, thanks for everything."

Stefan shakes his hand and clears his throat, trying to think of something to say but nothing came to mind, so he beats a quick retreat, back to his family's box where he could hopefully check out until it was time to go home.

Except when he gets back there, it's to find his seat had been stolen by Klaus, who for the life of him, couldn't seem to take his eyes off Caroline. To the amusement of Elena who was sitting beside him, completely invisible.

Stefan moved slightly to catch her attention and she turns in her seat, rolling her eyes and then almost silently, gathering her skirts and joining him in the hallway,

"Hey," she giggled, stretching up to kiss his cheek, "Where'd you go?"

"Oh, you know," he answers vaguely, "Performing royal duties, and committing duplicitous schemes and the like."

Elena raises her eyebrows, "Ok, well, Nadia's with my parents till tomorrow afternoon, so you wanna get drunk and flirty at the bar?"

He grins, "Oh definitely."

She slips her arm through his and they laugh as they quickly descend the stairs.

* * *

When the curtains fell on the stage for the final time, the cast having been applauded throughout their presentation, Katherine leaned over and smacked Kol's arm.

"Your mission for the next twenty or so minutes is to get me to Elijah," she tells him, trying to make her movements graceful as she tilts on the edge between pleasantly buzzed and actually drunk.

"Without me tripping, falling down stairs or looking like trash."

Kol snorts into his champagne glass, "Between the two of us we don't even make one semi-sober person." He comments, but stands with a fluid skill born of much practise under similar circumstances and offers her his arm,

"Milady." he bows and nearly loses his footing and she covers her mouth as she laughs,

"We're so _screwed_," she gushes as she puts her hand in his, letting him draw her up and tuck it under his arm, and she can feel the heat radiating through his shirt, which reminds her that he's left his jacket behind in the box they were now sweeping out of.

She looks over her shoulder to Lucien, "Call me!" she manages before she loses sight of him in the crowd.

A crowd of people chatting loudly about how great the play had been although she'd doubted half of them had ever bothered taking their eyes of the royal box.

She hadn't even seen much of the second half, she'd been too distracted by Kol and Lucien whispering in her ear, or bickering with each other.

It had been the most fun she'd had on a royal outing since…well, ever.

Elijah is waiting for her at the top of the staircase, Rebekah hovering eagerly at his elbow but when she touches it, leaning up to speaking to him, he pulls his arm away and Katherine can't hear what he said but she can see the way he snaps at her and she reels back, obviously surprised before recovering her composure, aware of the public gaze.

Elijah turns away from her and sees Katherine and Kol approaching, he strides forward and holds out his hands, Katherine giving him her left hand and after a moment, manages to slide her right out from under Kol's arm, "Wasn't it, wonderful?" she asks, giggling at the lack of amusement on his face,

"Spectacular," he agrees, "Could not take my eyes off the stage."

He smells of alcohol, a hint of cologne and sweat and when she looks properly into his eyes, she can see he's no more sober than she is.

He kisses her right hand and slides his fingers through the left, and begins leading her downstairs, his fingers are trailing lightly on the railing as they descend, or appear to be, she knows that he's putting pressure on those digits to keep himself steady and prevent tripping over his feet.

She scans the crowd for her sister but can't see her anywhere, although she thinks she catches a glimpse of Giuseppe, before Elijah pauses by the doors, where Aiden is waiting with a concierge to slide Elijah's jacket onto his frame and Katherine's stole is draped over her shoulders.

It provides absolutely no warmth against the oncoming winter but it looks pretty and they'd be in the car soon enough.

The Rolls Royce is waiting with open doors and the royal family descends the stairs, Elijah stepping to the side to hand Katherine into the car and she shifts over to the middle seat to make room when the slam of the door startles her.

And Klaus, who had been about to climb in after her.

Confused, she looks around to see Elijah sliding in the other door, and pulling that closed after him as well, "Go." He orders the driver curtly and after only a second hesitation, the man pulls out onto the empty road.

Katherine looks over her shoulder to see a rabble of royals left standing outside in the cold night air, but she knows that they'll simply take the next car in line.

And this way, she doesn't have to deal with Rebekah.

Leaning her head back, she exhales through her nostrils and lets her hand fall to her side, where it is quickly snatched up by Elijah. She turns her head to give him a lopsided smile and he leans over, stealing a fierce kiss before she can realize. She chuckles, "I love you." she tells him and he stares at her, "And I, you." He replies.

Her hand is trapped in his as he moves it onto his leg, and then a little further north. He pauses as they reach a red light, letting her make the next move.

Which is to delve into his lap until she finds what she's looking for.

She runs her hand over his length, stroking him through the layers of fabric and keeping her expression placid, even turning to look out the window so the driver and bodyguard wouldn't realize what they were doing.

"Take the car around to the Cousin's Palace," Elijah orders the driver, "I'll see Lady Katerina home and then walk back."

Katherine bites her cheek to keep from smirking and moves her hand down to his knee when they reach the palace gates, the paparazzi swarming around the car to push their cameras against the windows and the resulting flashes are blinding, but she makes an effort to smile even as her eyes are watering in protest. The gates open, the car slides through and the shouts are lost to the night.

The driver is discreet and drives the car around the palace, rolling to a stop by the back doors, which at the very least means the paparazzi wouldn't be able to photograph the King going inside.

It also meant that when Elijah helped her out of the car, he pulled her against him instantly, and they kiss as the vehicle rumbles away, his erection hard against her thigh.

His hands grip her arms and she's sliding her hands over his shoulders, bending her knees slightly so he'll pick her up, holding her so they can kiss each other easier, deeper.

She wants to wrap her legs around him but that's not happening in a ballgown.

Especially when the night air hits her and her nipples aren't hardening because of arousal.

"Inside," she gasps, pulling away from him, "I'm freezing."

He chuckles lightly, "I can think of a way to warm us up."

Wrinkling her nose, she nips playfully at his lips, "Not funny, you're wearing a shirt, I'm wearing strapless silk ballgown that protects _nothing_…inside if you want to finish the night…_inside_."

He laughs at that, turning his face as he does so, but she sees his eyes shining in the night and kisses his cheek bone impulsively.

It's her last act before he sets her on the ground and she takes three steps, his hand wrapped up in hers before she realizes that she's going the wrong way, headed towards the garden instead of to the palace.

He doesn't move and she stops, unable to shift his weight and he jerks his head, showing her the right direction- and the giant building should have been a giveaway- and she begins moving again.

The pebbles scatter underneath her heels, which are beginning to rub on her little toe and she is really, really cold, to the point where she's beginning to sober up and lose her buzz.

Fortunately, when they reach the doors, opened by a discreet page who quickly disappears into a back office, the loss of the wind chill is enough comfort for her to pause on the first step and pivot back into his embrace.

He feels safe.

But also, horny.

And one hand is pulling her dress up over her legs, sliding up her knees before delving between her thighs and the silk spills over his wrist, up to his forearm, leaving him searching blindly, but he finds what he's looking for.

His fingers push into her before she's entirely ready and she flinches slightly, which he picks up on, withdrawing to stroke her folds and tease her as she puts her hands on his shoulders for balance, waiting for her quick nod before he slips a finger back inside her again.

She likes to think that she's tipsy enough to be openly engaged in foreplay with the King of Valhalla on the back stairwell of a Palace that is still only at half-staffed, but the fact that she's worrying at every sound that they were about to be caught by a guard probably suggested otherwise.

So, even though she's riding Elijah's hand and kissing his neck, she tries to pull away from him,

"Take me to bed," she entreats, "I want you to."

He pouts sulkily, "Why? This is _my _palace, I should be able to kiss you and have you wherever I want."

She scoffs, "_Our_ palace and staff aside, there might be a courtier or two around who aren't bound by non-disclosure agreements."

He rolls his eyes, "We've been engaged for five years, who cares if you're not a virgin?"

The media.

The public.

The politicians looking to score easy points by commenting on the issue.

The courtiers who would call her a slut behind her back for having been stupid enough to be caught.

Katherine only smiles flirtatiously and her fingers begin undoing his bowtie,

"I want to be in a bed with you," she whispers, "Like we're already married."

He cups her face in her hands and kisses her forehead tenderly, "Less than a year to go."

She smirks, tucking the silk into his jacket pocket and unbuttoning his shirt, "Is there? My darling husband?"

He lets her take him by the hand, finding the direction a lot easier this time as she climbs up the stairs, pausing at the top to hold onto his arm as she took off her shoes and walked barefoot down the carpet.

As per the rules, the lights in the hallway were never turned off while she was out, only dimmed until an hour after she had returned. They provided just enough of an amber glow for her to see Elijah and her in the reflection of the windows, looking like two ghosts.

She has a moment of panic when she reaches the doors to her apartment that people might be inside, her family or some 'friends' but the only thing she finds is a bright blue post-it-note from Caroline that Elijah has to hold up to the lights and read for her.

"She's skyping her parents tomorrow." He informs her and she nods,

"She told me that earlier." she comments, remembering Caroline practically bouncing around the dressing room as her father watched, waiting until she had got within reach to snatch up her wrist and take her pulse.

Strangely, that fluorescent blue interruption had changed the air between them, turning it from pure lust into an almost domestic tenderness. Elijah opens the door for her and the two of them slip into the drawing room, glancing around to ensure they were alone before striding straight through to her bedroom.

Katherine stops before her mirror and begins unzipping her dress, not bothering to try and make it sexy as Elijah perches on the edge of the bed to take off his shoes.

In lieu of Aiden, he's forced to pick up his own clothes and ducks into the bathroom to drape them over one of the blue velvet couches. Returning only in his boxers and Katherine feels her arousal returning.

She's stripped down, leaving her dress messily folded and tossed into a hamper, before padding over to the bed and beginning to remove the vast number of decorative pillows. Elijah stands behind her, his hands on her hips as he kisses her shoulder and the back of her neck, his erection against her backside, making her quiver with desire as she folds back the duvet and slides between the sheets.

He follows a bare second after her, stopping only long enough to leave his boxers on the ground and lying on his side as he kisses her hungrily, his skin warm against hers and she slides a leg over his hip, humming as she feels the head of his penis against her thigh.

"Lube," she gasps, "Drawer."

He reaches blindly behind him, winces as he pulls his shoulder and she leans over him, making him moan as he breasts pressed against his chest and her arousal teased the tip of his penis.

The lube is supposedly tropical fruit flavoured, not that she plans on finding out, squeezing a generous amount onto her hand and settling back to stroke Elijah's penis, making him buck into her hand, before she squeezes some more onto her vagina, in and around her entrance before throwing the bottle onto the floor. She settles back onto her side and drapes an arm over his shoulder as he massaged her left breast,

"Ready?" he asks, carefully, and she nods, kissing him as he pushed inside her slowly, taking his time in case he encountered any resistance. When he reaches the hilt, he draws out again and runs a hand through her hair, stroking it back behind her ear and beginning to thrust.

Once, Katherine had used to close her eyes during sex or position herself so that she could look over a shoulder or not have to make eye contact at all.

It had always felt weird, but she'd been younger than, now, she can feel lose herself in Elijah's eyes as they have sex.

Or make love. She supposes this is love making, even when he rolls onto his back and she begins riding him, speeding up slightly and leaning back as she seeks out her climax, slowing down again and clenching her walls as she lifted herself up to find his finish.

She drapes herself on his chest as they catch their breath in the aftermath and she allows herself to stop thinking about etiquette and public image for a foolish moment.

"Stay," she mumbles, kissing his nose, "Sleep with me."

His answering grumble is either assent or the lack show of resistance before sleep claims him and his hand slides off her buttocks.

* * *

Less than a kilometre away, with a harsh light coming from his phone, Logan Fell was sitting at his office desk and cracking his knuckles before beginning to type his revenge.

* * *

A/N- Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!


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